Season 9: Take Two
by hmsa
Summary: Just a different take on how season 9 could have played out.
1. A Tangled Webb pt 2

Season Nine, Take Two.

All italics are actual show script.

HOTEL NUEVO SIMPATICO  
CIUDAD DEL ESTE, PARAGUAY

 _Mac lays a towel on the side table and lifts the covers to get into bed._

 _"What would your new wife think?"_

 _Harm chuckles as he winds his watch, "She's pretty broad minded."_

 _"Okay, you're not really married," Mac smiles as she settles on her side to face Harm._

 _He tosses his watch on the night table and crosses his arms as he looks at her, "No, but I do now know what it means to make a commitment like that. I went through the ceremony."_

 _"There's gotta be a story there."_

 _"Hmm. No."_

 _"Why'd you do it?"_

 _"I did it to find you."_

 _"That true?"_

 _"Mostly."_

 _"So, um... How do you like the married life?"_

 _"Don't know yet. I had to postpone the honeymoon."_

 _"But you got to kiss the bride?"_

 _"Oh yeah."_

 _They share a short laugh._

 _"You are just full of surprises."_

 _"Well, right back at you, MacKenzie."_

 _They lean in transfixed on each other._

Their lips collided lightly and a jolt of electricity surged through them. Harm rolled to his side, placing his hand gently on her face, savoring the feel and taste of her lips.

She pulled away slightly, "Harm, should we be doing this?"

"You're the one who pointed out, all those years ago in Sydney harbor that we weren't in Washington. I think the same applies. We're thousands of miles from home."

"And you said location doesn't change who we are. Harm, you and I are complicated, always have been. What happens when we get out of here? When we're back in Washington and have to work together, when all of the little hurdles come back into play?"

"Mac, don't worry about complications and hurdles. Just be here, now. We just survived terrorists, planes falling out of the sky, and driving through a dangerous, obstacle laden country. Everything else can be worked out as it comes."

He leaned in, recapturing her lips yet again in a slow, smoldering kiss. Giving in to the magnetic pull, she responded, returning the kiss and rolling to her back, drawing his body closer. Finally letting go, even if momentarily, the duo surrendered to all of the desires and feelings that had been building last eight years of their lives.

A rattle of the door knob brought them out of the light sleep they'd fallen into. Thanking all of the higher powers that they'd had the forethought to freshen up and replace their clothes after their ardent, though fairly short, bout of love making, Harm jumped up out of bed, drawing his side arm from the table beside the bed. Mac quickly threw back the covers, following him closely with her own weapon.

 _"Has your wife followed you down here?"_

 _"Its your husband." Harm lowered his gun._

 _"Clay! Thank God." Mac rushed over to help lead him to a chair._

 _"How'd you find us?"_

 _"I remembered I left a suitcase here."_

 _"How'd you get a key?"_

 _Mac eased him down into the arm chair, then moving to sit on the adjacent sofa._

 _"Doorman remembered me. He also remembered you, Sarah. He told me you were upstairs two-timing me with another man." Clay looked pointedly at Mac._

 _Covering the light blush and sharing a short look with Harm, she quipped, "That rat."_

 _"Well, I told you to tip him a little better," Harm poured Clay a drink as Victor drew the curtains shut._

 _"Any word on Sadik, sir?" Victor sat down, peeling the banana he'd picked up on his way back from the window._

 _"Not yet. But we did take care of the Stinger missiles, though."_

 _"Yeah, we got a lead- maybe," Mac shifted on the couch._

 _Clay leaned forward, "I need to know everything."_

 _"Well, we live to be of service to you, Webb," Harm replied sarcastically as he handed Webb the glass of amber liquid._

 _Clay glanced up quickly, "What happened to your head, Rabb?"_

 _"I keep bumping into brick walls."_

 _Harm capped the bottle of alcohol, placing it back on the table. Internally chuckling at the banter between Harm and Clay, Mac smiled._

 _"Look, Hardy believes Sadik will try to contact his secretary-"_

 _"Why?" Clay cut in abruptly._

 _"Information, a passport, ticket out of the country. She's the best shot we've got," Mac supplied._

 _"It's pretty thin." Webb replied._

 _"What would you suggest, Mr. Webb? Victor asked between bites of banana._

 _"Right now, I don't have a plan."_

 _"Well, that's refreshingly modest, Clay," Harm responded, hands on hips._

 _Clayton drew in a deep breath, "The problem is, not a lot of people know anything about Sadik. Between the three of you, you've killed most of Sadik's most known associates. And he' like a chameleon; he can look Mediterranean, or Saudi, or South American. All we know for sure is that he's on the move. By the way, Rabb, what the hell are you doing in Paraguay?"_

 _"He's honeymooning. Alone." Mac retorted._

 _"I came here looking for Mac," Harm inserted._

 _Harm began to look visibly uncomfortable with the change in subject._

 _"How'd you get the Admiral's permission?" Clay continued his interrogation._

 _Harm looked away, "I resigned my commission."_

 _All eyes were suddenly on Harm. Mac looked at him incredulously, feeling deceived and slightly betrayed, "Are you insane? Why didn't you tell me?"_

 _Harm shifted uncomfortably, grasping for words, "There- there was no time."_

 _"Oh, well you, you found time to tell Webb," she attempted to make eye contact, though he tried his best to avoid it._

 _"Its not a big deal, Mac."_

 _"Harm, this job is your life. Its all you've got."_

 _He finally looked at her, incredulously. After everything that had transpired that evening between them, she was now insisting that all he had was his job? That work was his life? A look of sadness fell over his face._

 _"You did it for me?"_

 _He gave her a small nod accompanied by a minute half smile._

 _Clayton ended the moment by cutting in, "Sarah, this is the same room we spent our honeymoon."_

 _He stood up, unsteadily, as she responded quietly, "Yeah."_

 _"As I recall, that bed was quite comfortable."_

 _Clayton would have collapsed to the floor, had it not been for the group's quick reflexes. Harm and Victor half dragged him over to the now vacant bed, as Mac followed behind._

 _"We should try to get a doctor," Harm grunted, as they hefted Clay's dead weight up onto the bed, "Let's get his shoes off."_

 _"You want to take off his pants?" Mac asked as she unfastened Clay's sandal._

 _"That's your job, Mrs. Webb," Harm shot back._

 _"Fine, we'll each take a leg." she rolled her eyes as she tossed the shoe aside._

 _"Gunny, see if you can get us another room, huh?" Harm requested._

 _"Gladly, sir."_

 _"Then you can decide who you want to sleep with," he turned to Mac._

 _"Do me a favor, shut up."_

Room arrangements were made quickly, Mac deciding to move with Harm to the new room. They silently unpacked a few necessities, and climbed reluctantly into bed. Laying mutely next to each other, though as close to their respective edges of the bed as possible, Mac stared at the ceiling, tapping her fingers. Harm closed his eyes, and settled in with a hand behind his head. Finally, she turned away from him, letting out a heavy breath and yanking the covers over.

 _"What is it?" he turned his head to look at her._

 _"Nothing!" she answered shortly, biting her lip._

 _He sat up slightly, shifting his body to fully face her, "Clearly, there is something on your mind."_

 _"Oh, I have a lot to say."_

 _"Well, spit it out."_

 _"Okay, I have a question for you," she turned to face him again, "You resign your commission, and you travel 5000 miles to find me and damned near get killed. Well, riddle me this Flyboy, why?"_

 _Looking her dead in the eyes, he responds with a shrug, "I think you know why."_

 _"Do I? When you found me at the hacienda-"_

 _"When I saved your life?" he interrupted._

 _"You weren't even glad to see me."_

 _"I was kind of busy trying not to get us killed."_

 _"You're not even glad to be here with me right now. In fact, you've been awful. So, is this really about Webb?"_

 _"You know, I'll say this, I did a hell of a better job protecting you than Webb did."_

 _"Where did that come from?"_

 _"Well you and him seem awfully damned close."_

 _"We've been through a lot together."_

 _"Yeah, I noticed the tender goodbye at the hacienda."_

She looked away, as the anger built. Anger at him for acting so belligerent, and anger at herself for finally feeling comfortable enough to let go earlier, only to have him turn on her as soon as Webb and Galindez showed up.

 _"And just how many times have you taken his pants off, anyway?"_

 _"I hate it when you're like this."_

 _"You hate everything that I do."_

 _"You're jealous."_

 _"I'm not jealous," he practically jumped up off the bed, heading over to the table where he left the bottle of liquor from the other room," Its your life, you do whatever you want, okay? I just didn't realize you had a thing for him."_

 _"I don't have a thing for him."_

"I have a thing for you, you idiot," she thought inwardly, "And, God, do I feel like an idiot for even thinking anything would change."

 _"Yeah, how'd you two get so close, then?" he began pouring, thinking it would take his mind off the complicated feelings building in his chest._

 _"It just happened."_

 _"Like Stockholm Syndrome?"_

 _"Yeah, maybe on my part. Turns out Clay has always had a thing for me."_

 _"Well, he kept it pretty well hidden."_

 _"Well, that's Clay," she continued the little game of goading him on, hoping he'd finally slip up and admit what he wanted, "You just never know what he's thinking."_

 _"What were you thinking?"_

 _"It was nice to have someone who..." she stopped, feeling anger well up._

 _"Someone who what?" he stepped closer._

 _"Who states his intention. Who's willing to follow through."_

 _Scoffing, he turned to the window, clearly this talk was not going in the direction either of them wanted it to go._

 _"You can have him. I just hope to hell for his sake, he fares a little better than your other various husbands and boyfriends," he took a sip from his glass._

She looked down, dejected. So much for working through everything later. He'd gotten what he wanted, and now she would just be tossed to the side over something that was really nothing. Putting the glass down on the table, he looked at her over his shoulder. Immediately, he knew he went too far.

 _He shook his head, "I'm sorry."_

 _"No, point taken. At least I actually managed to make it to the altar, not just in a sham wedding," her hurt feelings were finally beginning to spill out with her words, "How long have we known each other?"_

 _"Eight years."_

 _"Feels like a lot longer than that."_

 _"Yeah, I guess so."_

 _"And this is where we end up?"_

 _"Mac, can we, uh, table this until some other time?"_

 _"Yeah, sure. Sure, sounds like a great idea. But you know at some point, we're going to have to take this conversation up, because the way things are now, neither one of us can move on and neither one of us is getting any younger," she blew out a heavy breath, shaking her head, "Did I just say that out loud? Maybe I do need therapy."_

 _She sighed again, then the phone rang, mercifully cutting the conversation off._

After returning from the scene of Maria Elena's murder, they climbed into bed for seemingly the millionth time that night. Mac fell asleep just about as soon as her head hit the pillow, Harm on the other hand, couldn't seem to turn his mind off. He lay there staring at the ceiling, replaying all of the nasty words volleyed back and forth between him and the woman beside him. Why couldn't anything go right with them? They shared a couple of incredible hours together, exploring, tasting, feeling... then Webb shows up and he falls into a pit of jealousy. She was right, he was jealous of Webb. Jealous of the uninterrupted time they had together, even though he knew it was time they were working and in tremendous danger. He was especially jealous of how easy it seemed for her to just assume the role of Clayton Webb's wife and... His thoughts were interrupted by Mac turning over in her sleep and molding her body to the side of his, resting her head on his chest, and sighing contentedly. Why couldn't it be this easy for them when they were both conscious?

Clayton Webb, Victor Galindez, Harmon Rabb, and Sarah MacKenzie were all gathered at the taxi stand, saying their goodbyes.

 _"So, what now, Gunny?"_

 _"Mr. Webb and I need to report in at Asuncion before we fly back to the US."_

 _"You ever think about coming back to JAG?"_

 _Victor shakes his head smiling, "Not as long as there's men like Sadik on the loose. What about you?"_

 _"I guess I just gotta hope the Admiral will have me back."_

 _Mac steps forward to hug the Gunnery Sergeant, "I owe you my life, Gunny."_

 _"I wouldn't be standing here if it weren't for you, Colonel."_

 _She sighs and pulls Clayton aside, "I hope things work out, Clay."_

 _"They always do."_

 _She gives him a look and smiles as he steps away to the waiting cab. The red minivan starts up as the door closes and pulls away from the curb. Mac drapes her coat over her arm and gives a little wave at the departing vehicle, then Harm steps forward._

 _"Alone at last."_

 _"Yeah, I thought they'd never leave."_

 _"He's a good man."_

 _"If you like that kind of guy," he said reticently as he opened the door to the next cab in line for her, "Ready?"_

 _"No. Not- not quite yet."_

 _"Mac, we're going to miss the flight."_

 _"That's okay, tomorrow's another day."_

 _He chuckles, "Scarlett, get in the cab."_

 _"I don't want to be rushed. I want to remember all of this."_

 _"All of what?"_

 _"For a few weeks, everything was... bigger than life."_

 _"Oh yeah, grass was greener, sky was bluer. You're not going to break into song, are you?"_

 _She grinned and laughed, "I've never noticed this, but you have a way of just taking the joy out of everything."_

 _"Was your life that boring?"_

 _"No. No, but... After everything that's happened, I'm grateful to be alive and its made me take a second look. Do you remember that chat that we were going to have about us? There's one problem."_

 _"Only one?"_

 _"Things are never going to work out between us."_

 _The light went out in his eyes, and he could physically feel his heart shattering, "Why not?"_

 _"Because we both want to be on top and that's physically and emotionally impossible."_

She turned to get into the taxi, and he stared silently for a few seconds before he was able to force out four words, "But I love you."

She turned to look sadly over her shoulder, a small smile playing on her lips, then turned again to climb into the cab.


	2. Shifting Sands

The entire 11 hour plane ride back to Washington was spent in an awkward quiet, the only sounds coming from either was to flight attendants taking food and drink orders. In a word, the flight was miserable. Harm could only hope his return to JAG would be more welcoming than the cold shoulder he was getting from Mac.

June 5, 2003  
JAG HEADQUARTERS  
FALLS CHURCH, VA

Harm pulled into the parking lot just as Mac was getting out of her car. God, he missed her. It had only been barely a week since their return stateside and as far as he knew, she'd been tied up in CIA debriefings the entire time.

Mac turned as Harm pulled into his adjacent parking spot and smiled warmly. It wasn't that she wasn't grateful for everything he'd done for her, she was just tired of the dance they'd been doing for the last eight years. As he stepped down out of the SUV and came around the side, he returned her smile.

"Morning, Harm," she greeted.

"Hey, Mac. First day back to work?"

"Yeah, the CIA is as satisfied with my accounts of our little adventure as they'll ever be. Going up to see the Admiral?" she admired his well tailored black suit... Well, more like what was in it, "Care to walk me up?"

 _Applause could be heard as they stepped off the elevator. Rounding the corner to enter the bullpen, they paused at the sight of the entire JAG staff gathered around the Admiral's yeoman, Petty Officer Jason Tiner._

 _"Thank you!" Harm joked as Mac rolled her eyes, "Would have been nicer if you'd met us at the airport, but..."_

 _The attention shifted to the arrival of the two attorneys._

 _"Hey sir, ma'am!" Lieutenant Harriet Sims greeted with a cheery smile._

 _"Welcome back," Commander Sturgis Turner shook Harm's hand._

 _"What happened down there?" Harriet continued, "The rumors were intense."_

 _"That's classified, Lieutenant. At least until we show up the movie rights." Harm smiled._

 _"So what's the occasion?" Mac asked._

 _"It is Tiner's last day. He's checking out," Sturgis supplied._

 _Harm looks incredulously at Tiner, "Say it isn't so, Tiner."_

 _A proud Tiner boasted, "I was accepted at Officer Candidate School, sir."_

 _"Wow, will you be coming back?"_

 _"Naval Justice School directly after, ma'am."_

 _"We'll miss you, Tiner."_

 _"Thank you, ma'am."_

 _""Well, congratulations."_

 _Mac hugged Tiner, then the Petty Officer turned to shake Harm's hand._

 _"Thank you, Commander."_

 _"Who's your replacement?"_

 _"I am, sir," Coates spoke up from amidst the mass of bodies._

 _"The Admiral has appointed Coates his new admin assistant, sir."_

 _Harm let out a breath, "How long have we been gone, anyway?"_

 _"Well, you know the Earth doesn't stop spinning, just because you've left the room," Mac quipped._

 _"That's not what he tells me," Lieutenant Roberts makes his way through the crowd, "Good to see you back."_

 _"Likewise, Lieutenant," Mac responds._

 _"Although," he gestures with the file folder in his hand, "Now I'm leaving."_

 _Harriet turns to look at him, "You are?"_

 _"The Admiral has assigned me unassisted to a JAGMAN investigation in Iraq."_

 _"Good for you, Bud!"_

 _"Yeah, way to go, Bud."_

 _"Good luck, Lieutenant."_

 _"So Commander," Bud looks to Harm,"What's the deal with your military status?"_

 _Harm pauses for a second, "Well, that'll be up to the Admiral to decide."_

 _A knock on the Admiral's inner office door, and a response of, "Enter!" Mac and Harm file in, with Tiner closely behind to close the door. Rear Admiral AJ Chegwidden stands as his junior officers enter the room._

 _"Mac, you all right?" he asks immediately._

 _"Yes, Sir," she responds crisply._

 _"Good. Glad to have you back."_

 _"Permission to return to my duties?"_

 _"Granted," he nods._

 _"May I be granted the same, sir?" Harm requests hopefully._

 _"Rabb, you, uh, you resigned your commission," he shifts his attention to the tall, former aviator._

 _"Well, I submitted the paperwork-"_

 _"And I shot it up through the chain of command to the CNP the next morning."_

 _"You've been a, um, civilian for the last seventy-two hours," he read from a sheet of paper, then handed it to the bewildered attorney, "What, you thought I was going to sit on it?"_

 _"That's what you did when I left, sir," Mac interjected disbelievingly_

 _"Admiral-"_

 _"I'm not your Admiral; I'm your former Commanding Officer."_

 _"Sir, he saved my life!"_

 _"Well, put him on your payroll," the gruff ex-SEAL looked between the two, "Mac I am glad to see you, but I am equally fed up with this man's lack of dependability. You know, Rabb You're not a team player. You never consider the big picture, and you are completely Controlled by your emotions."_

 _"Can't argue with that, sir," he looks down._

 _"Good. So you need to go find something that allows you that independence. Drive a cab, wrestle alligators. Hell, I don't know."_

 _"He's been like this for years, Admiral. Why now?_

 _"Because the admiral has finally accepted the fact that I'm unchangeable, Mac... As you have," he looked up from the paper in his hands, "I have, uh a few things left to gather, sir. I'll be out within the hour."_

 _She looks from Harm's retreating form to the Admiral, still dubious. She takes a deep breath and lets it out as she finds it in herself to look at the older man again._

 _He meets her gaze and excuses her, "That'll be all, Colonel."_

 _"Yes, sir."_

Harm is in his office gathering his things into file boxes by the time Mac exits into the bullpen. She feels deflated.

'This is entirely my fault. If I just listened to him and never accepted that damned assignment...'

She made her way to her office, pausing momentarily as she passed his doorway to look on dejectedly. Looking to her office, Harm's model Stearman caught her eye. It was placed carefully on top of some of his personal effects, in the corner of one of the boxes.

'Its really over, isn't it?' She thought to herself, 'We really messed it up, this time.'

Her attention was called out of her brooding thoughts by his booming voice.

 _"Hey, Tiner," Harm emerged from his office._

 _"Sir?"_

 _"For when you make Commander," he frisbees his cover across the room to the young petty officer, "Hope it'll bring you a little better luck than it brought me, huh?"_

 _KRESGE MEDICAL CENTER  
PIMMIT HILLS, VA_

She didn't exactly mean to be there when Harm was. They just kept bumping into each other. She was getting out of her car just as he was walking past her parking spot. Surprised, they greeted each other and walked up to the CIA agent's room together. He was lounging in his hospital bed, staring at a wall when she knocked.

 _"Hi. Ah, you didn't tell me you were bringing him with you," the spy looked up and smiled at the Marine._

 _Already in a feisty mood, Harm retorted, "Just pretend that I'm not here. I'll play with the bed. Gee, I wonder if he folds."_

 _Webb was ready for Harm's jab, "Not when being tortured."_

 _"Did I ever thank you or that?" Mac asked as she took a seat next to his bed._

 _"Not in the way I prefer."_

'Whoa. Too strong, spook,' she mused. Instead of responding in kind, she smiled back awkwardly.

 _"So we, uh Spoke to your neurologist. He says you have nerve damage," Harm quickly changed the subject._

 _"Yes, so they tell me," Webb countered, not taking his eyes off of Mac._

 _"Did he also tell you it would go away in time?"_

 _"In time for what?" unshaken, he continued his pursuit._

 _"Will you stop asking them to release you. They need to see some improvement in your motor skills first."_

If he wasn't catching a hint by now, he never would. Luckily, he leaned back, giving her feelings of discomfort a small reprieve.

 _"So have you reported back yet?"_

 _"Already been assigned the defense in a desertion case."_

 _"Rabb's?" Clay finally looked up to acknowledge the other man in the room._

 _"Funny," Harm nodded._

 _"Petty Officer," Mac explained, "MIA since the Gulf War."_

 _"Right. Allison La Porte. So what about you? Did you have to beg your way back in, or did the Admiral just pin another medal to your chest?"_

 _"I'm out."_

 _"Wow."_

 _"Um, so... Do you need anything?" Mac attempted to break the tension._

 _"Um Yeah," he began as he started to raise the head of the bed, "What I need..."_

He began whispering less than appropriate things in her ear, as Harm rolled his eyes and left, closing the door behind him. A few moments later, Mac managed to extract herself from Clayton's grasp, stepping out into the hallway. She found Harm staring intently into the window of a vending machine.

"Harm, I-"

He cut her off, "Don't worry about it Mac. Like I said, its your life."

"Harm, there's nothing going on between Clay and I, despite what you might think. HE is interested in ME. That is all there is to it. I feel obligated to help him because of what he sacrificed to protect me. He was tortured for DAYS before you arrived."

"That's not exactly what it looked like when Webb was whispering sweet nothings in your ear a few moment ago."

She threw her hands up, exhaling loudly as she turned and walked toward the exit.

Harm sat in his mostly dark apartment, playing a tune on his guitar that he wasn't sure he himself made up, or just remembered. Reminiscing about his legal career and all of the friends he made along the way, his thoughts turned to his ex-partner. The day they met, her face, the way she felt pressed to his body, how well she fit in his arms, the kisses they'd shared, the one night in Paraguay that could have changed everything. That did change everything. His thoughts were interrupted by a loud rap on the door.

 _"It's open!" he stopped playing the guitar, "Hey. Don't you usually work late?"_

 _Sturgis tossed his cover to the side, "Don't you?"_

 _"Well, you better talk to the Admiral about that," he sighed._

 _"No, that's suicide. He's heavy on your case, brother," Sturgis walked to the fridge, grabbing a water bottle and settling down into the chair across from Harm._

 _"Yeah, for rescuing Mac?"_

 _"For resigning your commission."_

 _"Well, I had to. He wouldn't let me go any other way," Harm picked up a beer from the floor next to his seat._

 _"I think he took it as a slap in the face. He was offended that your respect for his authority had a ceiling. It's a new day at JAG, Harm. He's bolting his cannons to the deck."_

 _"Well, he tossed this one overboard," Harm took a deep swig from the brown bottle._

 _"It puts Bud next in line for senior responsibilities."_

 _"Oh. At least somebody benefited from my misfortune."_

 _"He's not ready."_

 _"You can't be objective, Sturgis. You're still angry he smudged your reputation."_

 _"It's just proof that he's not ready."_

 _"He had a confidence problem. He's okay now."_

 _Sturgis stared off into the distance, fiddling with his bottle cap, "I'd like to consider myself a forgiving Christian, but I'm having problems with this one."_

 _"Well, if it's any consolation, I forgive you for having a job I still want."_

 _Their conversation was interrupted by the ringing of Harm's phone. He stood up, clearing his throat and playing a few simple chords on his way, "Hello? You're talking to him. No, Friday morning's a little... All right, I-I'll be there."_

 _"A job offer?"_

 _"CIA. Deputy Director wants to see me."_

 _"What did you do?"_

After the day she'd had, Sarah MacKenzie felt like taking a long, steaming hot shower and falling into bed for the next 48 hours. On a whim, she changed direction and heading northwest to Pimmit Hills, instead of home. She heard voices as she arrived at Clayton Webb's room, one she didn't recognize, and two she did. Clay, Harm and a woman were discussing Harm joining the CIA, Clay even giving him the 'Welcome to the brotherhood' bit.

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She turned around quickly, and left the building still in disbelief. Her Harm working for the Company. She couldn't help but think about what that would mean for the fragments of their relationship that she was still desperately grasping. She made a mistake when she told him never, and with a job like this, she may never get the chance to make it right.


	3. Secret Agent Man

Mac was annoyed; Bethesda was not the place she wanted to spend her morning. What an inconvenient time to be due for her yearly physical and drug testing. She'd been feeling off for days, just not right. Walking down the corridor of the hospital, just the look on her face made people move aside.

Four hours later, she was on her way to headquarters, seemingly five pounds lighter from all the fluids they took. The annual case review always seems to happen around physical time, which means its always a struggle to get even a few hours off. Just more to add to her mood. Topping it all, the next few days were slotted to be the review of Harm's cases. God, did she miss him, it'd been weeks since their last interaction, and the conversation she overheard outside of Clayton's hospital room had been taking up a lot of her thoughts.

 _"Bud, hand me that stack?" He complied quickly, without really looking up, "Thanks. You okay?"_

 _"Uh I'm sorry, ma'am. It's just that these are Commander Rabb's files."_

 _"They're not sacred writ, Bud. His cases need to be reviewed, just like everyone else's," she flipped through some of the folders in the stack that Bud had just passed over, "Oh, do you remember this one the Moritz case? Sturgis had Harm charged with a rule 502 violation, had him removed as Defense Counsel. That was sweet."_

 _"What about this one, ma'am? The Massuco court-martial?" Bud chuckled bitterly, "Remember? He had you on the stand, he discredited me, made both of us look like idiots. That was not so sweet."_

 _Bud went back to work for a few seconds, only to look up again at the colonel, "Are you missing him?"_

 _"Uh no," he caught her off guard, and her first reaction was to spit out a half truth, "No, things are working out pretty well here. No one's firing automatic weapons in the courtroom."_

 _"That was years ago."_

 _"Yeah, well, the bullet's still in the ceiling."_

 _Another pause, "I miss him. Does the Admiral need all of these reviews by tonight, ma'am?"_

 _"I don't think so, but it's hard to say with the mood he's in._

 _"The Admiral's lost confidence in his staff. First Turner..."_

 _"That's my fault."_

 _"Then I screwed up. Well, I think that's why we're reviewing Harm's files, and he's no longer employed here. Do you need to leave early? Mikey is coming up for the baby's christening. My dad's flying in from San Diego. I'd like to be at the house when he gets there."_

 _"Go ahead," she smiled, "I'll see you all at the christening."_

 _"Thank you, ma'am."_

Hanging up the phone, Mac felt bile rising in the back of her throat. This is NOT what she was expecting when Bethesda showed up on her caller ID, nor how she thought this Paraguay escapade was going to play out. She felt like someone just hit her upside the head with a baseball bat, but she had to get going if she was going to make it to little Jimmy Roberts' christening.

Tossing her robe over the end of her bed, she pulled a black pantsuit and a light gray satin shirt out of the closet. Dressing quickly, she checked her hair, applied a bit of makeup and made her way out the door. She still had a pit in her stomach as she closed the door and turned the key in the cherry red corvette.

'What was I thinking when I bought this thing? It is completely impractical for really anyone, let alone someone who lives in a place where it snows.'

She pulled out of the parking lot shaking her head at her perceived lack of forethought.

 _"Midshipman, you look like a man with a lot on his mind," Mac was glad to have something else to think about other than the phone call she'd received earlier and Harm, "Bud told me about your dilemma. Said he and your father gave you opposing views."_

 _Midshipman Michael Roberts looked up at the tall brunette forlornly, "You here to break the tie, Ma'am?"_

 _"Run it by me."_

 _"Well," he began, "A friend of mine's been accused of plagiarizing an essay. He didn't copy it word for word. Just used someone else's idea."_

 _"Well, if the Professor is interested in originality, then that's a problem, isn't it?"_

 _"I don't know what the Professor has on his mind, Ma'am. I haven't spoken to him about it."_

 _"Which way are you leaning?"_

 _"What Midshipman Dupree did, Colonel, I'm not sure I haven't done that myself. Sometimes when you're on a deadline and you're tired, it's easy to get sloppy."_

 _"So you're afraid saying no to your friend would make you a hypocrite."_

 _"Yeah, maybe."_

 _"Do you believe his story?"_

 _"I don't know," he swallowed a mouthful of beer._

 _"That puts you in a tricky situation. You stand up for someone you think might be guilty, or do nothing while someone who might be innocent is convicted?"_

 _"Kevin comes from a poor family, Colonel. His dad was killed in a Navy training exercise. His mom raised three kids on her own. He's struggled to get to where he is. Do I ignore that?"_

 _"Hard to do," she responded, mind going back to the journey she was about to embark upon, most likely on her own._

Patting the younger Roberts brother on the back, she picked up her drink and made her rounds, conversing with the other attendees.

'I hope I don't have to throw one of these in a few months,' she thought cynically, adjusting the hem of her jacket unconsciously.

"Something on your mind, Colonel?" AJ stepped up beside his brooding chief of staff.

"Uh, a lot actually, sir," she sighed.

"Anything you care to share?"

"Not yet, sir. Its something that just came up and I need time to work through it."

"You know where to find me when you're ready, Mac," he smiled as he continued on to another group of people.

PAMPANGA, LUZON, PHILIPPINES

 _"There was a minute back there I didn't think we were going to make it out in one piece. Thank you for getting me out of jail," Beth O'Neil looked over to Harm._

 _"Well, I couldn't leave my partner behind, could I?"_

 _"Yeah? What happened to your last partner?"_

 _"Ah," he paused for a moment thinking about the last few days in Paraguay, "We just kind of burned out on each other, I guess."_

 _"Time to move on?"_

 _"Yeah."_

 _"You still speak?"_

 _"No. Not in a while, anyway."_

 _"Was that your choice?"_

 _"Mostly."_

 _"Well, when you start talking to each other again, that's when you'll know it's over. Are you ready for that to happen?"_

 _"Greener pastures? Why not? It's a pity you're not available, O'Neil."_

 _"Make me an offer. See what happens, she smiled at the face he made, "I'm kidding."_

 _Harm looked out into the side mirror, catching a glimpse of a truck full of Philippine soldiers wielding automatic weapons, then the mirror shatter seconds later. The truck picked up speed to chase them, only to be stopped by a farmer and his oxen crossing the road._

 _"Senor!" the man on the passenger side of the cab began yelling at the man._

 _"Dead end?" Beth exclaimed._

 _"Where the hell are we?"_

 _"We're out of road."_

 _"Where's the damn crate?" Harm began looking around them._

 _"Where's the plane?" O'Neil looks back to see the truck closing the distance between them. The truck pulls up behind the towncar Harm and Beth had been driving and begins firing their weapons at it. A couple of the soldiers approach and begin searching the car, finding no one in it._

 _"I see it," Harm says quietly, as they race through the thick foliage._

 _They come into the clearing and board the cargo plane as fast as their legs can carry them, Harm dropping into the pilot's seat and Beth O'Neil following suit in the seat next to him._

 _"ATT up," Harm calls, "Sorry. Force of habit."_

 _"Go for it," Beth responds with a shrug._

 _"Engine master."_

 _"On."_

 _"Engine one."_

 _"Roger."_

 _"Engine two."_

 _"Go on two."_

 _"Engine three."_

 _"Go on three."_

 _"Starting engine four."_

 _"Four is go."_

 _The sound of the engines starting up alerts the soldiers, who quickly make their way to the clearing._

 _"Paraiso's friends are back."_

 _"JATO master switch on," is Harm's only response._

 _"JATO on."_

 _"Brace yourself. Fire the JATO! Whoo!"_

 _"Good work, extended warranty," the voice of their supervisor, Blaisedell came in clearly over thier headsets, "Paraiso and his accomplice have been neutralized by the Philippine Army, and you both have earned field agent status, if you want it."_

 _Beth's breathing is still labored, "I've had enough excitement for one day, thank you."_

 _"What about you, Commander? ...Commander?" inquires Blaisedell._

 _"I'm thinking about it," Harm says after a few moments pause._

AUGUST 12, 2003  
1436 ZULU  
JAG HEADQUARTERS  
FALLS CHURCH, VA

Petty Officer Jennifer Coates' voice comes over the intercom in the Admiral's office, "Sir, do you have time to see Colonel MacKenzie?"

"I have a few, send her in Coates."

Mac walks into the Admiral's office apprehensively.

"Yes, Colonel?" he doesn't look up from his work as he speaks.

"Sir, remember at Jimmy Roberts' christening party how you asked what was on my mind, and I said I wasn't ready to talk about it yet?" she said while staring at a point above his head.

"Yes I do. What is it Colonel?" he looked up and removed his glasses.

"Sir... I'm pregnant." she spit out.

"Well, congratulations, Mac, that's wonderful news," the Admiral's tone changed almost immediately.

"Yes sir, I just thought at this stage, it was something that would need to be brought up... Before it starts to become a... Visible... matter."

"At 'this' stage? How far along are you, Colonel?"

"I'm in the beginning of my second trimester, sir. About 12 weeks."

A look of realization dawned on the older man's face, "This happened in-"

"Yes sir, Paraguay. Beyond that, I would prefer not to discuss it," she interrupted.

"When you were being held captive, Mac?"

"No sir. Sadik Fahd is a very sick man, but no. The father will not be an issue. I promise," she reassured.

He nodded, "If that's all Colonel?"

"Yes sir."

"Dismissed."

"Aye aye, sir."

She executes a perfectly crisp about face and departs the office.

"I'm going to strangle Rabb, if I ever see him again," the Admiral growls as he sinks back into his chair.


	4. Back In The Saddle

_"Commander Imes was placed under arrest at 1100 hours this morning on my orders." Admiral Chegwidden announced to his three senior attorneys._

 _"On what grounds, sir?" Mac asked._

 _"Well she was in line for a new security clearance. Background check found that she was not a member of the Michigan Bar as she claimed. In fact, she was not and is not a member of any bar._

 _"Did she graduate from law school, sir?" Sturgis questioned._

 _"She did, after, uh taking night courses for five years."_

 _Bud looked up, puzzled, "How was she accepted into the JAG Corps, sir?"_

 _"Well, we don't know for sure. All we do know is that around the time that she presented proof that she belonged to the state bar, she had her name legally changed to that of a member of the Michigan Bar who'd just passed away._

 _"She requested a duplicate license and then presented it as her own," Bud postulated._

 _"Admiral, I know Commander Imes pretty well from a previous tour of JAG," Mac affirmed, "She's a good lawyer."_

 _"That's why I brought her back from Europe to take over Commander Rabb's caseload. Now this. Instead of lightening our load, she's added to it."_

 _"Sir?"_

 _"Coates, every case in which Commander Imes served as defense counsel will be reversed."_

 _"Well, several of these are murder cases, Admiral," Sturgis interjected, "Are you suggesting we let the guilty parties go free?"_

 _"I'm telling you we're going to start over. We're going to reevaluate each and every case and decide if they need to be retried."_

 _"Sir, a quick review of these cases indicates that Commander Rabb served as a prosecutor in 27 of them," Mac suggested._

He looked at her as if she'd suddenly sprouted a second head, but just as quick as the expression washed over his face it was gone, _"Your point?"_

 _"I think it may be useful to bring him in to help evaluate those cases,"_ she continued, reflexively dropping a hand to her slightly swollen abdomen, _"Considering we're short staffed on senior attorneys, it may be a way to expedite matters._

 _"Expedite all you want, Colonel," he tossed over his shoulder as he stood and walked out of the conference room, "I expect a full accounting by the end of the week."_

 _"Just when you thought things couldn't get worse," she said with a sigh._

 _"Ma'am, when was the last time you saw Commander Rabb?" Lieutenant Roberts turned to look at Mac._

 _"A couple months ago," she said offhandedly._

 _She quickly gathered her things and also departed._

 _Sturgis added, "Harm has moved on Lieutenant. He has a new life flying for the CIA. Better get used to it."_

Harm put his guitar down at the knock on his door. He almost couldn't believe his eyes when he opened it, finding Sarah MacKenzie on the other side.

 _"I took a chance you'd be here," she smiled._

 _He looked her up and down. She was beautiful. She was dressed in a light tan trench coat and black slacks. She was also carrying a rather large, ambiguous case. He stepped back to let her in._

 _"Well, where else would I be?"_

 _"Out of town," she answered, "I've left 17 messages in the last five months."_

 _"Yeah, well, I guess I have been gone a lot."_

 _"Look, I know you're mad at me-" she started._

 _He cut her off, "I'm not mad at anybody."_

 _"So, uh, what, you just decided to move on, leave the rest of us behind?" she asked, placing the case on the table._

 _"Just trying to get on with my life, you know?"_

 _"I-I know you're upset," she placed a hand on her hip._

 _He leaned forward from the chair he'd retreated to, "You don't know anything about what I'm feeling."_

 _"Well, I would know what you were feeling if you would talk to me."_

 _"Hey, I thought we'd done our talking," He took a long draw from his beer bottle, "You made that pretty clear."_

 _Well, I'm going to need you to talk to me," she removed her coat, to lay it over the back of the chair. As she turned, he caught the slight rounded curve of her midsection, "I need your help. Do you remember Commander Imes?"_

 _Shaking off the shock of her appearance, he chuckled, "Beat her six times running."_

 _Missing the myriad of emotions that played across his face, she quipped with a smile, "Not that you were keeping score. Well, I have bad news. All those convictions are being overturned."_

 _"Why?" he asked still slightly distracted._

 _"She isn't a lawyer."_

 _"I could've told you that. I'm kidding," he put the bottle to his lips again._

 _"She never passed the Michigan Bar."_

 _"Really. So they're reviewing all her cases?"_

 _"Yep," she stood and opened the big, black case, removing the contents from within, "Harmon Rabb's greatest hits. Will you help me, or do you have some secret mission to fly?_

 _"Webb didn't tell you?" he looked up to see a slightly confused look on her face._

 _"We don't spend a lot of time talking about you," she didn't spend a lot of time talking to Clayton Webb at all, these days._

 _"Gee. That's a surprise. He canned me."_

 _"What? I just saw you all over the TV... Oh," a look of understanding washed over her face, "He really fired you?"_

 _"Yeah, ask him about it next time you two are together. Give you an opportunity for a little pillow talk."_

 _She rolled her eyes, dismissing his comment, "You ever miss it?_

 _"What, being a lawyer?" he said casually._

 _"Everything," she sounded hopeful. Too desperate? God she hoped not._

 _"Things change, Mac."_

 _"Oh, you have a lot of company for a recluse," she commented._

 _He laid his guitar against the arm of his chair and stood to answer another knock on his door._

 _"You busy?"_

 _"Uh a little."_

 _"Uh, that's okay, . I was just leaving," she stood and quickly donned her coat, "Uh, read through the files and call me. I need your input quickly._

 _"Good night," she smiled tightly._

 _Catherine Gale responded quietly, "Good night."_

 _Catherine stepped past Harm to take the seat Mac vacated, also removing her coat._

 _"You're pregnant," Harm mused aloud._

 _She laid a hand on her expanded waistline, "So was she...Anyway, that's why I'm here."_

 _"Uh, so how far along are you?" he stammered._

 _"Five months. It was before we met," she explained, "By the way, does, uh, Colonel Mackenzie know about our marriage?"_

 _"Oh, uh, I don't know. I might have mentioned it to her."_

 _"That's why I got the look."_

 _"What look?"_

 _"The 'get away from my man' look."_

 _"Oh, that look," he raised his eyebrows amusedly, "So, are congratulations in order?"_

 _"Always, when a baby's concerned," she looked down._

 _"And the father?"_

 _"Doesn't know."_

 _"Your mother?"_

 _"Doesn't have a need to know."_

 _"Wow. CIA agents are cold. How is your mom?"_

 _"Doing well. She's at the long-term care center at Kresge."_

 _"She still think that, uh, you and I?"_

 _"I haven't found a way to tell her that our wedding was fake. Listen, I want your advice. Are there times when you wonder if life is ever going to be the same?"_

 _"The same as what?"_

 _"As before," she answered elusively._

 _"If you're looking for bad advice, you've come to the right place," he answered with a smile._

Announcing her presence with a knock on the door frame, Sturgis Turner looked up from a stack of papers on his desk, _"_ _So what are you offering?"_

 _"We're going to take our chance at court-martial," she leaned against the frame._

 _"Are you crazy?" he asked, coming around the desk._

 _"Apparently," she smiled as she turned to leave._

 _"I expect that from Rabb. Not from you, Colonel."_

 _H_ e caught her attention with the drop of Harm's name. Maybe she was more emotional now, or maybe Sturgis was trying to push her buttons on purpose, but this fired her up.

 _"Really? And what would you expect of me?"_

 _"You generally take a conservative position, a safe position."_

 _"What else?" she asked, uncrossing her arms and taking a few steps into his office, "My faults? As long as you're listing them."_

 _"You're, uh, sanctimonious. And a bit of a prig."_

 _"Where did that come from?"_

 _"It's been building for a while. Now I'm sure you'll excuse me," he walked past her, out of the office._

Mac and Bud were reviewing Imes cases in a conference room. Well, Bud was. Mac was staring blankly at a file, thinking about Sturgis' assessment of her faults.

 _"Lieutenant do you think I always take the narrow view?"_

 _"No, Ma'am," he didn't look up._

 _"Do you find me sanctimonious?" her eyes narrowed a bit._

 _"No, Ma'am," nothing._

 _"Priggish?" she moved closer._

 _"No, Ma'am."_

 _"Good," a sly look crossed her face, "Would you tell me if you did?"_

 _"No, Ma'am."_

She sat down across the table from him. Smart man. Its a good thing he'd dealt with a pregnant woman before. He knew exactly what to say, it seemed.

 _"Have you talked to the Commander, Ma'am?"_

'Strike that. Dumb, dumb, dumb move. Why does everyone keep asking ME if I've seen or talked to Harm? Doesn't anyone else try to communicate with him?'

 _"I left him copies of the cases. He promised to get back to me."_

 _"How's he doing?"_

'He's not going to stop. Ever.'

 _"He doesn't call you, either?" she responded._

 _"Once, to congratulate Harriet and me on the new baby..."_ he glanced across the table at the elephant in the room. No one talks about the Colonel's increasingly obvious bump, and she acts like nothing has changed, _"Do you think he'll ever come back?"_

 _"That means you think the Admiral would ask him back."_

 _"Well, not as things stand, but maybe, if you talked to the Admiral?"_

 _"For the past few months, the Admiral and I are having a failure to communicate."_

 _"Oh. We're communicating excellently. He yells at me and I say I'm sorry. Kind of like married life."_

 _"Wouldn't know," she smiles as she resumes work on the file in front of her._

 _Harm stepped off the elevator and into the usual buzz of activity at the headquarters of the Judge Advocate General's office. Instinctively walking toward his office, he stopped as soon as he caught sight of the black placard bearing the name 'S. Turner'._

 _He began back pedaling just as Sturgis emerged from his office, "You, uh, didn't know?"_

 _"No," he laughed nervously._

 _"Yeah, well, taking your office wasn't my idea."_

 _"Doesn't matter to me, Sturgis."_

 _"Mac and Bud are in the conference room."_

 _"Thanks."_

 _"Want to get a beer?" he offered._

 _"I'll call," Harm tossed over his shoulder, already heading for the conference room._

 _"Nice to see you, sir," Petty Officer Coates greeted._

 _"Well, it's nice to see you, Jennifer," he tried to placate her eagerness._

 _"The admiral is in. I'll let him know you're here."_

 _"That won't be necessary."_

 _"I believe it is, sir. You two really need to talk to each other," her voice growing louder the farther he walked._

 _"I have nothing to say to the admiral," Harm replied, nearly crashing into the subject of their conversation._

 _"Damn."_

 _Bud jumped out of his chair the moment he saw his mentor come through the door, "Commander Rabb!"_

 _"Hey, Bud!" he passed Bud the wrapped gift he's been carrying under his arm, "Here, it's for the baby."_

 _"Thank you! It's good to see you, sir," Bud shook Harms hand vigorously._

 _"Thanks. You, too. All right, let's get down to it, huh?"_

 _Mac finally looked up, but didn't leave her seat, "You saw the admiral?"_

 _"Oh, yeah, I saw him. He ran the other way."_

 _"He's just embarrassed," she supplied._

 _"End of discussion."_

 _"Yeah, but he-"_

 _"Mac, look, I don't work here. I have precious little time. I said I'd do you a favor. Come on, let's get on with it."_

'Someone's in a good mood,' she thought to herself, 'This'll make him even happier.'

 _"All right, before we go over the cases, I want you to know I'm calling you as a witness for the defense on Commander Imes' case."_

 _"Oh, come on. I don't have time for this!" Harm practically exploded._

 _"Then I'll subpoena you. You know her, and you can testify to her competence," she stopped him sharply._

He sighed, knowing he couldn't out-stubborn her.

 _Harm leans back from the dinner table, "Let's give it a shot."_

 _"'It'?" Catherine retorts._

 _"A relationship."_

 _"I'm pregnant."_

 _"Nobody's perfect."_

 _"What the hell is going on with your life? You're a skilled attorney, but you're crop dusting for a living. You're an attractive man and the only woman on the horizon is pregnant by somebody else."_

 _"Look, we've already walked down the aisle together."_

 _"I'm flattered, really. But you are way too high risk."_

 _"What are you talking about?"_

 _"Harm, you're grasping at straws."_

 _"Come on, let's try it. See what happens."_

 _"With a woman you hardly know and a child who isn't yours? Or is that what you're really after, an instant family? Look, let's make this simple. When you're sure of what you want, let me know."_

She looked down, then back up at him, "I do have to ask, does any of this have to do with Colonel MacKenzie? Did you have something to do with that?"

"W-with what?" he looked like a deer caught in the headlights, feigning confusion.

"Harm, you and I both saw her new... Figure."

"I don't know. I didn't ask, she didn't say."

"They opened the doors at both ends of the hangar. Uncle Dick flew right through."

"Upside down?"

"Damn straight," Mattie took a sip of her Diet Coke.

"Well, your uncle's a pretty crazy guy."

"Well, you ought to know. How are you, Commander?" Admiral AJ Chegwidden pipes up from behind the pair.

"Well, AJ, I'm fine. And it isn't Commander anymore, is it?"

"Force of habit. How about a drink?"

Harm pauses for a minute, "You buying?"

"Dutch treat," AJ responds after a moment.

"All right."

"What exactly do you do around here?" AJ asks, looking around.

"Crop dusting."

"Enjoy it?"

"Pays 300 a day," Mattie cuts in.

"Well, uh, don't you think this is kind of a waste of your talents?"

"No. I put in my hours, I don't have to wear a suit and a tie, and I like my boss."

"Harm, is this bald guy the jerk who fired you?"

"Well, I-I didn't, um, I didn't really fire him. I, uh, just didn't ask him back." AJ stumbles over his response.

"Yeah. Around here, that's called fired," she counters pointedly.

"And you are, um?"

"Mattie Grace." She sticks out her hand and shakes the Admiral's, "I'm his new boss."

"She's kidding, right?"

"No. Mattie runs the day-to-day operations for Grace Aviation."

"So now you're, uh, working for a little girl. Hmm."

"So, see you tomorrow?"

"Bright and early."

"You got the Earl farm. It's got a nasty crosswind, so watch out for the high tension lines on the west end."

"See you, boss."

"Thought it was time we had a talk."

"I thought we'd done our talking."

"So did I."

"Turns out there's more to say."

"Well, I can't imagine what that would be."

"Boy, you're damned annoying."

"Oh, is that what you drove 100 miles to tell me?"

"It's part of it."

"Well, I am also, and here I paraphrase, not a team player and controlled by my emotions."

"All that's true."

"Look, why are you here, Admiral? What, did you come looking for absolution? Did you come to gloat? Or you just want a ride in an airplane? You're bordering on insubordination, Rabb."

"I'm a civilian now, AJ. I'm not in your Navy."

"Right."

"All right."

"Here it is. As you know, the, uh, Imes debacle has forced us to review over 200 cases, many of which you were involved. And you did some fine lawyering. Now you're a crop duster."

"I'm good at that, too."

"I might consider asking SECNAV to reinstate your commission and take you back at JAG under the right circumstances."

"I'm listening."

"Harm, it's time to stop being, uh, Peter Pan. The little boy who likes to fly and never grew up. You're not going to have the life you want until you learn to take responsibility for your actions. Not at work, not with women, not in any facet of your life. Let me know what you decide."

"You're here, Admiral, because you need me. Because I'm an excellent lawyer. And because the officer you chose to replace me is looking at seven years hard labor."

"That's true. Come back. We'll start fresh. Let me know. And for godsakes, Rabb, talk to Mac."

Mac is just coming out of the shower, when she hears a knock on her door. She throws on a robe over her undergarments and runs to the door. After looking through the peep hole, only to see her ex-partner on the other side, she unlocks and tugs open the door.

"Harmon Rabb, what can I do for you?" she says tersely.

"Mac, I... Can I come in?"

She nods and steps back from the door way to let him pass. She pulls the robe's belt a little tighter as they move into her living room.

"Would you mind giving me a minute to put something on?" she turns to go back to her bedroom.

He grabs her hand, stopping her in her tracks. She looks up and makes eye contact with him, finally noticing the hurt look in his eyes. Wordlessly, he puts his other hand on her stomach, eliciting a sharp intake of breath from her.

"Harm-"

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"I called you. You never picked up the phone once. I left 17 messages, what did you want me to say? 'Hi Harm, I know you're pissed at me, but I just wanted you to know our little romp in Paraguay has left me pregnant with your child.' I came to your apartment, not just the time I handed off the Imes cases. How much more could I have done with you constantly traipsing around the globe?"

"Its not Webb's?" he looked surprised.

She sighed deeply, "Harm, how many times do I have to tell you, nothing happened! Nothing is going to happen. I don't have feelings other than gratitude for Clayton Webb."

Extracting her hand from his gently, she once again turned to go to her bedroom. Harm stood staring after her, the click of the door latching broke his trance. Without thinking, he made a beeline for the door, intending to go in after her, but he stopped, his hand slipping from the door. Instead, he made his way to the kitchen, retrieving two tall glasses and filling them with water. By the time he returned to the living room, she'd appeared in the door way of her bedroom wearing athletic shorts and a cotton tank top that did nothing to hide her pregnancy. He sat down and gestured for her to do the same.

"Mac, can we have that talk now?"

"You want to **talk** after basically just accusing me of lying to you and sleeping with another man? I'm not really sure why you're still here."

"Look, I know how firmly my foot was implanted in my mouth, but Mac-"

"No, please leave," she walked to the door and opened it.

Hanging his head, he gathered his jacket and keys, then walked out the door.


	5. Close Quarters

Harm had a pretty miserable day, between his double helping of cases from the Imes review, to the ice cold welcome he received and the dead... Thing... In his office wall. He stopped at the pharmacy after fourteen straight hours of staring at case files, hoping for something that would help him make it home in one piece. He couldn't wait to hit the hay, but on the other hand, he wished he could have another night like last night. He placed the box of pills back on the shelf, thinking coffee might be a better idea.

He headed for the store's exit when he spied a one-armed man struggling with a child-proof pill bottle. He offered his help and after a short chat, thought he'd be on his way, until the police came and arrested the old man.

 _Sarah Mackenzie stood behind her desk, sorting through piles of case files, selecting a few to put in her briefcase and stacking the rest in a pile next to it._

 _"He couldn't get his prescription filled, so he called the HMO. They tell him he's not in the system. They give him a runaround for four days," Harm is buzzing around the front of her desk like an angry wasp, raving about the man he encountered._

 _"And that's reason to commit robbery?"_

 _"Well, he was trying to get them to correct their mistake. He went to the corporate office in person. He tries to get by the receptionist. She threatens to call the security guard. In an in an act of desperation, he stuck his hand in his pocket, and he ordered her to hand over her purse."_

 _"Why is it you want to help this man? She came around the front of the desk, collecting her coat, cover and adjusting a couple files in the case."_

 _"'Cause he's a good man. He's not a thief, Mac. All he took was enough money to pay for the prescription he couldn't get. Look Mac the guy's a homeless vet. He was sticking up for himself. He has had to go the last 60 years without the benefits afforded veterans because he had the misfortune to lose his arm after he'd been discharged."_

 _Hitting the elevator button, she turned back to him, "All good reasons, but age and circumstance are not excuses for illegal behavior."_

 _"Look, if anyone deserves a break, this guys deserves a break."_

 _"Harm, you don't have the time. Let the civilian authorities handle it, and concentrate on the 27 Imes cases you have to review. You have at least twice as many as the rest of us."_

 _Harm sighs, "Well, how am I going to say no?"_

 _"The real question is, how many all-nighters do you have in you?" she asks with slight concern._

 _He smiled and opened his mouth to say something, only to be interrupted by Petty Officer Coates and another stack of case files._

 _"Commander, glad I caught you. The Admiral wants you to have these," she hands over the three inch thick pile._

 _"What are they?"_

 _"Lieutenant Singer versus Lieutenant Commander Imes. Six cases in all, Sir," He looks at her incredulously, while the elevator dings simultaneously._

 _"Was he smiling when he gave them to you?"_

 _"Slightly."_

 _"I'm being tested. Put 'em under the arm."_

 _"I'd be happy to help you carry them to your car, Sir."_

 _"I got 'em."_

 _"Oh I'll just, uh I'll steer him in the right direction. I'll hook him up with a Public Defender and advise him from afar," he returned to his conversation with Mac as they waited for another elevator._

 _"He's homeless. How are you going to do that?"_

 _"Well, I got that covered."_

 _"You found him a place?"_

 _"Well, temporarily."_

 _"He's on your couch."_

'Bud may not be able to help, but Mac can't say no.' Or that's what he kept telling himself on his way to her office. He leaned through the door way, putting on his most charming face.

 _"Hey."_

 _She didn't even look up from her computer screen. Damn, she's good, "I can't help you, Harm. You're off-limits."_

 _"Mac I'm overwhelmed."_

 _"As predicted,"_ she seemed to take pleasure in this.

 _"Public Defender dropped the guy. The system is killing him," he plopped into one of the chairs in front of her desk._

 _"Well, then, take them on. He needs somebody like you,"_ she sat back interlacing her fingers across her abdomen.

 _"I would if I could, but I-I can't fit him in. Even if I could hell, the admiral would never authorize it. Every time I turn a corner, he tosses another hoop in my path._

 _"And how do you think he's going to react when he sees me jumping through that hoop?"_

 _"With forgiveness. He always lets you slide."_

 _"Get out."_

 _"You can't deny it."_

 _"Of course I can A-a-and how's this supposed to help you get what you want?"_

 _"Well, I-I-I don't have a strategy. You were right. I'm coming to you with my hat in my hand."_

 _"Look, I-I'm busy too, you know._ Aside from allowing your progeny to siphon nutrients from my body, I have my own Imes cases, plus my usual load."

 _Yeah, but you're smart, see. You'd know just what to do," stroking her ego was the way to go._

 _"Yeah, smart enough to know when I'm being snowed."_

 _"All right. Sorry to waste your time," he turned to leave, head down in faux defeat._

 _"Look, I-" she sighs, "I'll meet with him. If I can fit it in, I'll let you know."_

 _"You were off the hook," he laughed, "Why did you jump back on?"_

 _"Because if you were me, you would have said yes at 'I'm overwhelmed'. Give me his number."_

 _"I'll do you one better," he gestured out the office door, "Mr. Minnerly. Sir, I would like you to meet your new attorney, Colonel Sarah Mackenzie."_

 _She stood and came around the desk to usher him into the office. He looked her up and down, then between the two lawyers, shrugged and sat in the offered chair._

 _"Let's start again. Here's what can be argued: Because of circumstances created by your need for medication, you were not in a rational state of mind."_

 _He looked at her, pokerfaced, "I knew what I was doing."_

 _"You don't want to admit that."_

 _"But it's the truth."_

 _"It won't serve you."_

 _Admiral Chegwidden strolled by Mac's office, stopping to look in the office, "Colonel, is there a reason you're in your office? Uh Should I be elsewhere, Sir? Well, the courtroom would be appropriate, uh, considering that your, uh, sentencing hearing started about nine minutes ago."_

 _Panic flooded her face, "Oh, Sir I'm so sorry, um, I got I got busy, and I, uh. Um, can you?_

 _She paused to look at Minnerly, then fled the office._

Rabb and MacKenzie walked through the bullpen, side by side.

 _"Can't believe I let you rope me into this."_

 _"Hey, you had your chance to bail."_

 _"Why didn't I?"_

 _"Ma'am, Sir, he's waiting," Coates shepherded them into the waiting Admiral's office._

 _"Colonel, Commander, you're familiar with Mr. Minnerly," the Admiral established._

 _"Yes, Sir."_

 _"Yes, Sir."_

 _"Why aren't I?"_

 _"Admiral, I-" Harm began._

 _"Left me out of the loop again, didn't you?"_

 _Mac tried before she was cut off as well, "Sir, we thought-"_

 _"You ever heard of the, uh, Great Lakes Experience?"_

 _"No."_

 _"Sorry, Sir," she shook her head._

 _Neither had I. Mr. Minnerly?_

 _"Well, in 1942, President Roosevelt recruited black men into the Navy, thousands of them, me and others, passed through the Great Lakes Naval Training Center in Illinois."_

 _"What were you trained to do?" Mac asked._

 _"Well, some played baseball, some designed, uh, graphics, uh, men boxed. Some performed in plays."_

 _"And you?"_

 _"I played in a band," the old man grunted, "Musicians were put in 25-man ensembles and stationed at bases all across the country. I was at Treasure Island, San Francisco. We played everything, standards, marches, classical music and at night, we swung. This went on for about three years."_

 _"Why was this done?" Harm inquired._

 _"To help maintain morale. At least that's what I understood."_

 _"And you all were okay with it?" he continued._

 _"Well, it was a great honor, at that time. I know now, it seemed that maybe we were being stereotyped, but, uh, good things came out of it. People could see that black men could do more than work as stewards and cooks."_

 _"Apparently, some barriers were broken," the Admiral interjected._

 _We were the first to integrate the Navy Music School. And when the Navy saw that it worked, they became even more open to the idea, and after that, things happened pretty quick._

 _"Why didn't you tell me about this?" Harm looked at the man sitting next to him._

 _"He wouldn't have told me if I hadn't stumbled onto it," AJ responded._

 _"Well That was a long time ago."_

 _"What instrument did you play?"_

 _"I played piano."_

 _"Admiral, I, uh, I assume, you're, uh, you're aware of Mr. Minnerly's situation?" Rabb looked over to AJ._

 _"I understand that you two were trying to help him out with, uh, little success. So I called the Commonwealth Attorney. Know him from law school, and he agreed to drop the charges if Mr. Minnerly promises to attend counseling."_

 _"That's great."_

 _"And American Red Cross is, uh, putting him up in their Quantico facility until he can find a new place. They should be here right about now, Mr. Minnerly, it has been a great pleasure to meet you, Sir. And my Yeoman will show you out."_

 _Minnerly shook all three lawyers' hands before he turned to leave, "I appreciate this, Admiral. Thank you, Commander. Thank you, Colonel."_

 _"Take care, Mr. Minnerly," Mac led him to the door and closed it behind him._

 _"Why the hell weren't the two of you on top of this?"_

 _"Well, Admiral-"_

 _"That man is an example of the hundreds of thousands of veterans who are in need on a daily basis. I expected better of both of you. Especially you, Commander. Aren't you the man who does what's necessary to get the job done?" AJ walked around to the back side of his desk._

 _"Sir, I uh, I was under the impression that man is unwelcome in this office."_

 _"Not entirely."_

 _"Sir, I need to know what's expected of me. Am I to prove myself or be myself?"_

 _"That's a fair question. Do what you do."_

 _"Well, that's going to be a little difficult under the present workload, Sir."_

 _"Well, then, um Lieutenant Singer's cases, gives those to, uh... Give them to the Colonel."_

 _"Admiral," Mac protested._

 _"Might clear it up?"_

 _"Absolutely, Sir."_

 _"Sir-"_

 _"That'll be all."_

 _"Aye aye, Sir."_

If looks could kill, Harm would be six feet under ten minutes ago. His flyboy smile was not going to get him out of this one.

"Oh and Colonel, the manufacturer does test the tensile strength of the thread they use to sew on their buttons."

Her eyebrows shot up and jaw dropped simultaneously, "Sir?"

"I was just wondering why you felt the need to do your own."

"Uh, I'm not-"

"Go talk to personnel, have them fill out a 604 for maternity uniforms. They're inevitable, its nothing to be ashamed of, and you'll feel a lot more comfortable not fighting your clothes every morning."

"Yes sir," she said quietly, "I guess time just snuck up on me."

Harm still hadn't told Mattie about Mac or her baby. Hell, sometimes he wondered if just that one time in Paraguay was enough. She'd been alone with Webb for weeks, surrounded by barbarians. He didn't really want to think about any other alternative possibilities, but it was something he'd need to speak with her about. He hoped it wouldn't change her feelings about his custody request.

His drive to Blacksburg was nearing its end, and so he wrapped his thoughts up as he pulled up the driveway. He resolved to tell her tonight; if she was going to be his ward, she needed to know what he was getting her into. Mattie came out to the front porch, as he turned off the car and climbed out.

"Hey, Mattie!"

"Hi Harm," she smiled, "Glad to see you finally made your way out of your office."

"The Admiral lightened my load. Gave 'em to Mac," they made their way into the house, settling in the living room.

"Who's Mac? I mean, aside from another lawyer at work. Or I assume that's who he is."

"She, Sarah MacKenzie. Yeah, she's a colleague. She's the reason I left the navy. She went missing in Paraguay in May, and the Admiral refused to let me go assist the search. I obviously ended up finding her, but was not allowed to return to my duties after I returned."

"You have a thing for this Mac, don't you?"

"Mattie, I..."

"Its okay if you like her, Harm."

"Its complicated. Listen, there's something I need to tell you-"

"You're backing out?"

"No! No, nothing like that. While we were in Paraguay... Uhm. Mac is pregnant."

"So..?"

"She says its mine."

"Oh. I see. You sound like you don't believe her."

"I want to. Its just..." he rubbed his face vigorously with his hands, "Like I said, its complicated. I just found out myself, and thought you should know before we move ahead with the custody process. I want you to be okay with this, if we're going to make this happen."

"I mean, if you think you can handle it. I say, let's go for it."

He smiled, "I'm just taking it as it comes."


	6. Posse Comitatus

_"Barclay Cale was a widower who had farmed this small piece of desert for most of his life," the news reporter stated in a tinny voice, while standing in front of a police cruiser and a boat load of caution tape on the TV screen._

 _"Fifth time I've seen it this morning. It's all over the news," the Admiral turned to his two senior officers._

 _"You know what they say, sir,' If it bleeds, it leads'." his chief of staff responded._

 _"Held off police with a converted automatic weapon. The standoff sadly ended when a Marine pilot chose to act as judge, jury and executioner._

 _We could have taken him out alive. No court in the land would have given Cale the death penalty for what he'd done. He hadn't killed anybody. But that Marine pilot took the law into his own hands._

 _Barclay Cale inherited..." the voices on the TV faded as the Admiral lowered the volume._

 _" So, you see the urgency in resolving this case?"_

 _"Sir, what was Major Tunney doing so close to a police standoff?"_

 _"I don't know. You should put that in the top of your list of questions, Colonel."_

 _"What do we know about Barclay Cale, sir?" Harm finally spoke up._

 _"The Yuma County Sheriff was attempting to arrest him for tax evasion. Property taxes on land he had lost to his creditors. Geared up for one last stand. Opened fire on the deputies as soon as they arrived."_

 _"Sir, it's illegal for the military to participate in arrests, searches, or police activity on US soil, which means that when the Marine pilot killed Barclay Cale, he violated the Posse Comitatus Act."_

 _"May have, Colonel. Posse Comitatus contains a lot of gray area."_

 _"Did the pilot feel the circumstances were exigent, sir?"_

 _Put that on your list of questions," AJ shifted his attention from Mac to Harm, "Look, the, uh, Administration's taking a lot of heat for the Patriot Act. The last thing they want is the public worrying about the Marines interfering with domestic law enforcement. That will be all."_

 _"Aye, aye, sir."_

 _"Aye, aye, sir."_

 _They both executed about faces and filed out of the Admiral's office._

"I see you made the leap to maternity uniforms. I-"

Mac cut him off, "Don't Harm. I already feel ridiculous enough without people pointing it out."

"That's not what I was..." he trailed off as she closed her office door in his face as soon as she stepped over the threshold.

2122 ZULU  
MARINE CORPS AIR STATION  
YUMA, ARIZONA

 _"Major Tunney is the real deal," Colonel Pittman walked with the pair of attorneys through the motor pool, "He flew combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. Hell, he's trained over half the pilots on this base."_

 _"It's not his skills that are at issue here, Colonel Pittman. It's his judgment. I assume you debriefed Major Tunney after the incident," Harm questioned._

 _"Major Tunney was conducting routine training. He noticed the standoff with the Sheriff's Department and the wounded deputy on the ground. He believed he could assist with emergency medical evac. That's when Mr. Cale opened fire on him."_

 _"Well, the Sheriff's TV interviews left that part out," Mac interjected._

 _Harm continued, "Did the Major seek authorization before returning fire, Colonel?"_

 _" He did. He was told to hold his position while we attempted to contact the chain of command."_

 _"You told him to hold his position, or hold his fire?" Mac was perplexed._

 _"Hold his position, Colonel. I would never instruct a Marine to hold fire while he's taking direct fire himself."_

 _"Why not just tell the Major to leave the area?"_

 _"Because the Major explained to me he thought he could save some lives."_

Mac looked to Harm, mystified. He shrugged. Pittman excused himself to attend to another matter, so the two broke off, strolling in the direction of the brig.

"Mac, about yesterday-" Harm started.

"Nope, not having this conversation with you. You don't get to make comments about anything not pertaining to the case after what you insinuated."

"I-"

"I. Don't. Care," she punctuated each word, "There is no doubt in my mind about the paternity of this child, and for you to so easily try to..."

Her anger was getting the better of her again, throwing her hands up, she stopped for a minute to compose herself.

"You know exactly what it's like to grow up without a parent in your life. I'm not going to use that as any sort of excuse to force you to be anything to him-"

"Him?" he cut in, "Its a boy?"

"Yes, Harmon, we have a son, can I finish? I don't honestly expect you to be or do anything for him, at this point. Feel free to prove me wrong. Just know, I would never keep him from you, if you chose to take on that role, but so help me, if you walk out on him ever... That's it, you'll never see him again," her voice was shaking by the end.

"I would never walk out on my child, Mac, you know me better than that," he ran a hand over the back of his neck, then scrubbed them over his face, "I'm just still in a state of shock about it all. I have so many questions, still."

"Can they wait? We have a meeting with Major Tunney in 3 minutes and 27 seconds."

"Remind me to add another question to my list," he said dryly.

She smirked in response.

MCAS YUMA BRIG FACILITY  
YUMA, ARIZONA

 _"Major, were you doing flight training with fully armed weapons systems?"_

 _" No, the 20 was loaded with lead ball training rounds, Colonel. If I'd opened up with explosive incendiary, that barn would be nothing but ashes."_

 _"Well, it's still way too much firepower for the task at hand."_

 _"Well, I heard over the radio that he had a hostage, So, I hovered low enough to see where she was. Looked like Cale was training the gun on her, so, I fired a micro-burst at a shallow angle. I was only gunning for the bad guy, ma'am. I'm sorry to hear the female deputy was hit by falling timber. I was not looking to participate in any police action, Colonel. I just wanted to help."_

 _"By opening up with your 20-millimeter guns?"_

 _"As I stated before, ma'am, I was taking fire."_

While Mac was interviewing Tunney, Harm was tasked with doing the same with his co-pilot, Lieutenant Mary Nash.

 _"The guy was a lousy shot, Commander, but you throw enough ammo out there and you're bound to hit something."_

 _"Isn't the Cobra's cockpit designed to withstand small arms fire?"_

 _" Yes, sir, under optimal conditions, but that doesn't mean an armor-piercing round couldn't penetrate the windshield or a seam between the Noroc side panels. We were afraid he'd take us down right on top of the cops on the ground."_

 _"So, you're telling me you sincerely felt your life was in danger?"_

 _" What else could we do? We were being fired upon."_

 _" I attempted to make radio contact with the sheriff, but the dispatcher told me that she was under orders not to put me through," Tunney insisted._

 _"What about your operations duty manager? Did you attempt to contact anyone on base for orders?"_

 _"Yes, ma'am. I tried to get direction from my squadron CO through the duty manager, but before Colonel Pittman could get to me, I started taking fire."_

 _"How many rounds did Barclay Cale fire at you?"_

 _" I really can't say for sure."_

 _"But he did fire on you? "_

 _"Oh, yes, ma'am."_

 _"Major, you know what the Posse Comitatus Act is."_

 _"Can you honestly say that your actions weren't in violation?"_

 _" I did what had to be done, ma'am. And no, I didn't believe I was breaking any laws by defending myself or trying to save the lives of those two deputies."_

Both interviews finished about the same time, Harms finishing first by just a few minutes. He really wanted to talk to Mac more, not about the case, so he hung around until she emerged from the interview room.

"Colonel, care to accompany me to an early dinner? My treat," he inquired with his best thousand watt smile.

"Hmm," she pondered for a split second, "What did you have in mind?"

"Whatever you want."

"There's this diner not too far off base I used to go to, when I lived here."

"Alright, change and meet me in front of the VOQ in 20?"

She smiled, "Its a... Sounds good."

Eighteen minutes later, she was dressed and ready, leaning against her rental car. Harm let out a low whistle when he came out the entrance to see his partner in a pair of dark blue jeans, black flats and a white, figure hugging, short sleeved t-shirt. It'd been quite a while since he'd seen her out of uniform.

"Ready to eat, marine?"

"Extremely," she responded as her stomach rumbled.

He gave a short laugh as he climbed into her Tucson, "I guess he is, too?"

"Always. I think he's going to have my appetite."

"That's a frightening thought," it almost felt like they were getting back into their old groove.

"Yeah, no kidding. I've already almost doubled my grocery bill, I feel like I'm ALWAYS hungry."

"You look great, Mac. Aside from this," he gestured to her abdomen, "You really haven't changed a bit."

"I wish. I don't fit into any of my old pants, anymore, and not just the buttons and zippers," she rolled her eyes.

"How many more weeks?" he asked empathetically.

"Sixteen weeks, four days," she answered, eyes never leaving the road.

"Not that you're counting."

Their dinner was spend in light conversation, each actually enjoying the other's presence for the first time in a long time. After they returned to their quarters, Harm decided to go back to the office to get some work done.

 _"You find anything?" Mac came striding through the door._

 _Harm looked up in surprise, he hadn't expected her to return to their temporary office that evening, "Colonel Pittman's not the only one who worships the ground Major Tunney walks on. You?"_

 _" Well, Tunney's former CO doesn't feel the same way. This is the final report from a previous Command inquiry. Two years ago, Major Tunney used his helicopter to assist the San Diego Police in apprehending a felon during a police chase. This isn't the first time he's been investigated for violating the Posse Comitatus Act. Looks like Major Tunney thinks he's the Lone Ranger"._

 _1606 ZULU  
YUMACOUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT  
YUMA, ARIZONA_

 _"Medical help for McInnis was already en route, and with backup, we could've taken care of Barclay Cale, too. That's our job, not Major Tunney's. He just wanted something to shoot at," the sheriff complained._

 _"Well, Major Tunney says Barclay Cale shot first," Mac countered._

 _"There were bullets flying everywhere. To be honest, I can't call the man a liar, but I don't believe that Major Tunney was under fire at the time he opened fire on Barclay Cale."_

 _"Now, Major Tunney said he tried to make contact with you at the scene, but your dispatch wouldn't put him through," Harm posed._

 _"Because I told them not to."_

 _"Why?"_

 _" I was busy enough dealing with one trigger-happy yahoo. The last thing I wanted was another. Look, I've got two deputies in the hospital, and the one who's still in intensive care wasn't injured by the man I was trying to arrest. She was hurt when your Marine knocked half a barn down on top of her. A helicopter gunship is not the right tool to use in a hostage situation, Commander. This is Arizona, not the damn Gaza Strip."_

Harm and Mac decided to partner up to question Major Tunney about his previous incident.

 _"Two incidents in two years is a little more than coincidental, Major."_

 _"Tell us about what happened two years ago."_

 _"Well, I was stationed at Camp Pendleton. San Diego police were chasing a guy doing 90 up the wrong side of a divided highway, so I went down low in front of him. I figured I'd scare him into stopping. Instead, he ran himself off the road."_

 _"Yeah, and crashed into a tree in someone's backyard where, luckily, kids weren't playing."_

 _"You can't hold a man responsible for what didn't happen, Colonel."_

 _"In both cases, I took action that saved lives."_

 _"If that's illegal, lock me up."_

 _"Posse comitatus prohibits the military from participating in any effort to execute or enforce the law on US soil."_

 _"Technically," Harm shifted his portfolio and gestured, "The military, however, can be used in certain specific circumstances: i.e. the Army lended advisors and a tank during the Waco standoff"._

 _"Yeah, and look how well that turned out," Mac replied._

 _"Well, but SEAL Team 6 and Delta Force provided security and surveillance during the Olympics. They also provided advisers to the FBI and local police during the hunt for the DC sniper."_

 _"Says who?"_

 _"I have my sources."_

 _"Right, I forgot. You went to the dark side."_

 _"The military can be used in cases involving biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons."_

 _"Only with the approval of the Attorney General, and Barclay Cale didn't have any nukes parked in his barn."_

 _"The Marine Corps was brought in to corner the LA riots. Military can be used to suppress insurrections against the government. Now, the hostage standoff began when Mr. Cale refused to pay his income tax. One could argue this was at least the beginning of an insurrection."_

 _"Wrong. Barclay Cale wasn't trying to overthrow the government. He was a man with nothing to lose, just trying to keep some dignity. He went about it the wrong way. You really love this, don't you?"_

 _"What, arguing with you?"_

 _She smiled brightly, " Yeah. The investigations, the interviews, and yes, our arguments. I'm beginning to understand why you came back. You need JAG just as much as JAG needs you."_

 _"What about you? You glad to have me back?" he questioned in a low voice._

 _Her phone rang, cutting her off before she could answer, but her eyes told him everything he needed to know, " Lieutenant Colonel Mackenzie. Yes, absolutely. Thank you. That was the Yuma County Hospital. Deputy Linda Foyo is out of intensive care."_

 _YUMA COUNTY HOSPITAL  
YUMA, ARIZONA_

 _"What happened before you were injured in the shootout? Did Barclay Cale fire on the helicopter?"_

 _"He was firing, but he had stopped by the time the chopper fired at us. Look, Barclay Cale was a sad, stubborn old man who deserved to do life in prison, but if there's one thing he knew, it was weapons. When that helo showed up, he knew he couldn't shoot his way out."_

 _"So you you're telling us that the Marine helicopter's presence was helpful?" Harm asked._

 _" Not in the way that you mean. I mean, it-it helped me talk Barclay into giving himself up, which he was about to do before that pilot opened fire."_

 _"You're sure he was going to give himself up?"_

 _"Colonel Barclay Cale was a vet. Caught the tail end of Vietnam. He knew better than to take on a Cobra."_

 _Returning from the hospital, the duo decided to call Admiral Chegwidden, to update them on all their findings from the past few days._

 _"Why am I not surprised? Hell, the two of you agreeing That would be a surprise."_

 _"Admiral, given the highly public nature of the incident, I think not going forward with an Article 32 would invite accusations of a cover-up," Mac responded._

 _"So you're recommending that we proceed to head off conspiracy theorists?"_

 _"No, sir. I believe Major Tunney is in clear violation of the Posse Comitatus Act, and therefore Article 92 of the UCMJ: Failure to obey a direct order or regulation."_

 _"Admiral, Major Tunney is an experienced and dedicated Marine pilot who was taking fire and did what he felt he had to to save the numerous lives of law enforcement agents on the ground," Harm interjected._

 _Mac smiled at Harm's idealism, though completely unconvinced._

 _"Well, if the Convening Authority sends this to an Article 32, we know who'll prosecute and who'll defend."_

 _"It would seem so, sir," Harm directed his eyes upward, to the brunette Marine Colonel._

 _"Yes, sir," she said self-assuredly, "Uh, Admiral, the Marine Air Base is off limits to the public, so, in the interest of transparency, the county has volunteered its library as a hearing site."_

 _"Military History section, no doubt. The outcome of this case could affect a lot more than one Major's freedom."_

 _"Yes sir," they both said simultaneously._

Ending the phone call, Harm looked up at Mac again, "This should be interesting."

"Yeah," she scoffed, "Because you're going to lose."

LATER THAT NIGHT  
VISITING OFFICERS QUARTERS  
MCAS YUMA  
YUMA, ARIZONA

Harm clicked off the TV he'd been mindlessly flipping through, and got up to answer the knock on his door. He opened it to find Mac on the other side, holding a small manila envelope and a bag of take out.

"Hey, Harm. Hope you haven't eaten, yet."

"No, I completely zoned out. Come in," he ushered her in with a hand on her lower back, closing the door behind her, "What's up?"

"Well," she started as she began taking the take out containers from the bag and placing them in their respective spots on the small table, "I thought I would bring you dinner and introduce you to our son."

Once she finished taking out the food, she picked up the envelope and carefully dumped the contents on his rumpled bed cover. Pulling out a disk, then carefully collected and straightened the five by seven black and white pictures, she handed him the stack to leaf through, and popped the DVD in the player. Harm was astounded, he flipped through the pictures, starting with a tiny gummy bear looking creature in a big black blob, then on to recognizable body parts: hands, a head, legs... And yep, he was definitely a boy. Looking up to find her standing quietly looking out the window, he put the pictures down, stood, and walked to where she was at the window.

Gently putting his arms around her from behind and hugging her, he whispered, "Thank you," in her ear.

She turned and responded to him by placing her own arms around his neck and squeezing back, their little boy kicking furiously between them.

"You ready to eat?" she asked after a few minutes.

He chuckled and let go, "Leave it to the Marines to interrupt a Hallmark moment for their stomach. Now, what's this you put in?"

She picked up the remote and pushed play. The screen was blank at first, but then after a second of confusing black and white flashes, a human form could be deciphered and a loud whooshing filled the room. A moment later, the scene changed from black and white to a golden yellow, the vaguely distinguishable shapes turned to a 3D image of a tiny face with a thumb plugged into his mouth.

"He looks just like you," she remarked.

He didn't say anything, just remained transfixed to the image of the tiny human moving and making faces on the screen. His son.

1705 ZULU  
PICHACO LIBRARY  
YUMA, ARIZONA

 _"I couldn't have been any more clear, Colonel. My dispatcher told Major Tunney we didn't want or need any help from the Marines, especially not in the form of a Super Cobra designed for taking out tanks," the sheriff sat irritably on the makeshift witness stand._

 _Mac stood in front of him, hands clasped behind her back, "Even though you were facing a gunman whose automatic weapon was loaded with SS-109 rounds?"_

 _" Colonel, half the street gangs in Yuma have automatic weapons. I'm sure more than a few are loaded with AP rounds. Should I call the Marines every time we raid a drug house?"_

 _" Your Honor, I'd like that testimony stricken from the record, unless I'm going to be allowed to answer that question," Harm interrupted Mac's questioning._

 _"So ordered. Sir, would you please refrain from answering a question with a question?"_

 _"Yes, Your Honor."_

 _"Sheriff, besides the fact that it's illegal, was there any other reason that you refused Major Tunney's offer of assistance?"_

 _"Barclay Cale was one of us. I'd known the man for 20 years, and although he'd been shooting, he was still talking. A peaceful surrender was still on the table Until Major Tunney unleashed his cannon rounds. The Marines are simply not trained or equipped to handle civilian law enforcement."_

 _"On what do you base that?"_

 _" Four years I spent in the Marine Corps, and the 15 years I've spent in the Yuma County Sheriff's Department."_

 _"Nothing further, Your Honor."_

 _Harm stood to begin his cross, "Sheriff, when you and your deputies arrived at the Cale ranch to arrest Barclay Cale, were any of your deputies wearing body armor?"_

 _"They were all wearing vests, but when Deputy McInnis went down, we realized Cale was using SS-109 rounds."_

 _"What about the squad cars you arrived in? Were any of these armored or ballistically reinforced to any degree?"_

 _" No."_

 _"So then despite your extensive law enforcement training, the instant Barclay Cale chose fight over flight, you and your men became helpless?"_

 _"We didn't choose to shoot it out like it's the OK Corral, but that doesn't mean we were helpless. We were waiting for backup."_

 _"Well, I assume it wasn't part of your plan to have one deputy shot and another taken hostage?"_

 _"Objection. Argumentative and irrelevant," Mac interjected._

 _"Your Honor, the witness has testified that my client's actions were unnecessary, and I'm trying to elicit testimony to the contrary."_

 _"Overruled. But make your point, Counselor, and move on."_

 _"Sheriff Driskell, Things weren't going well. You were sitting, waiting for backup. Must have been feeling helpless."_

 _"Not enough to call in the Marines."_

 _"That'll be all, Your Honor."_

 _"Deputy Foyo, do you believe that Major Tunney saved your life by killing Barclay Cale?"_

 _"I do not. I was making headway with Barclay. The guy went to High School with my father. I had talked him into dropping the gun."_

 _"Thank you. Nothing further."_

 _"Commander?"_

 _" Deputy Foyo. Didn't Barclay Cale take your radio to prevent you from communicating with the other officers?"_

 _" Yes."_

 _"Well, then there's no way that anybody but you would know that Barclay Cale was ready to give himself up and surrender his weapon, is there?"_

 _" You weren't there, Commander. This man knew me."_

 _"That didn't prevent him from taking you hostage, restraining you with your own handcuffs, and holding you at gunpoint, did it?"_

 _" No."_

 _"It doesn't sound to me like the Barclay Cale you were in the barn with is the same Barclay Cale you grew up knowing, Deputy. Now isn't it possible In all the confusion The wind from the rotor blades, the noise that You're not exactly sure who Barclay Cale was shooting at?"_

 _"Couldn't really be sure who Barclay Cale was firing at, could you, Deputy Foyo? I don't believe Barclay was shooting at the chopper. But, I guess I see how Major Tunney could have thought so."_

 _"Hey," Mac greeted, walking in the room._

 _"Hey. Where've you been?"_

 _" I just had a long conversation with the base Public Affairs Office."_

 _"Don't set my interview up with Mike Wallace until I've actually won."_

 _"Very funny."_

 _"According to the PAO, you're not the one out looking for fame," she dropped a thick stack of bound pages on the desk in front of her._

 _"What's this?"_

 _" Your client's memoirs. His publisher just dropped them off at the Public Affairs Office as a courtesy. Check out the title."_

 _"_ _The Nick of Time_ _."_

 _"Goes to motive, Counselor. It looks like Major Tunney may have had more of a personal interest in getting involved than he's let on. But what's a little posse comitatus when you can be #1 on the New York Times' bestseller."_

 _"I wrote my memoirs because I think I've led a pretty interesting life."_

 _"You sure it's not the other way around?" Mac approached the witness stand._

 _"You think I'd risk my career, my freedom and my reputation just so I could sell more books? Maybe you didn't think your reputation would suffer."_

 _"It certainly didn't after the first time you did something like this."_

 _"Objection."_

 _"Sustained."_

 _"Major Tunney, did you receive authorization from your senior before you opened fire on Barclay Cale?"_

 _"No, but-"_

 _" And were you ever specifically asked by civilian deputies on the scene to provide any assistance whatsoever?"_

 _"No, but again-"_

 _" Were you aware of the regulations prohibiting personnel in the US Armed Forces from participating in civilian law enforcement action on US soil without authorization from the highest level of the chain of command?"_

 _"Yes, ma'am."_

 _"And finally, Major, at the time you made the decision to use your helicopter's to take out Barclay Cale, was there any doubt in your mind that you were indeed hovering over US territory?"_

 _" No, ma'am. I knew exactly where I was."_

 _"I have nothing further, Your Honor."_

 _Harm stood to begin questioning, sharing a short look with opposing council before she sat, "Major Tunney, you insisted on taking the stand today in your own defense. Why?"_

 _" I wanted to make it clear I'm not ashamed of what I've done, any of it. I gave that manuscript to the PAO as a courtesy. Does that sound to you like I thought I was doing anything wrong? "_

 _"Did you attempt to seek approval from your immediate chain of command before taking action in this incident?"_

 _" Yes, sir."_

 _"Did you ever receive direct instructions from Sheriff Driskell to leave the scene and stay out of the matter?"_

 _" No, Commander."_

 _"So, acting upon what you could see on the ground, you decided to take action in this incident, knowing full well what the consequences might be?"_

 _" Yes, sir."_

 _"Have you ever done anything like this before, Major?"_

 _"Yes, sir."_

 _"In Desert Storm, I was the first on the scene of a downed F-14."_

 _"Now, the Super Cobra only had seats for the two pilots, but I could see the Iraqis approaching. So, I loaded the injured pilot into my seat, and I rode back to base on the starboard skid while my copilot manned the controls."_

 _"Could you have received command approval for an action like this?"_

 _" No, sir. But when I got back to base and saved that pilot's life, the only thing my Commanders talked about was what awards I should be recommended for."_

 _"Do you believe you should be awarded a medal for shooting Barclay Cale, Major?"_

 _" I didn't shoot that man to win an award, sir. Or to have something to write about. I shot him because I believed it was the only way I could prevent him from killing people."_

 _"Thank you, Major. Nothing further."_

 _"The term 'posse comitatus' means "force of the county," and for 125 years, we have kept the military out of local law enforcement. There are no soldiers or tanks patrolling our streets, no troops enforcing laws at the whims of their commanders. And that's what separates us from the banana republics of the world, Your Honor."_

 _"The law is subject to numerous exceptions, is it not, Colonel?"_

 _"Only in very narrow instances, Your Honor."_

 _"In this case, there were no standing orders expressly forbidding Major Tunney from doing what he did."_

 _"But Major Tunney is presumed to know the law, and that law makes it illegal for a Marine major with an attack helicopter to become a vigilante."_

 _"Objection."_

 _"Pejorative."_

 _"Sustained."_

 _"Is there any proof Major Tunney acted out of any motive other than to save lives, including his own and that of his copilot?"_

 _" No such proof, Your Honor. Only a strong suspicion that the Major wanted to add a chapter to his memoirs."_

 _"After 9/11, state governors had to call the National Guard in to patrol airports because to give that job to regular Army troops would have been illegal. The law is worse than obsolete, Your Honor. It's a danger to national security."_

 _"Objection. We can't ignore laws simply because they're old."_

 _"The Colonel is right. Commander, you're making a good argument for repealing the law, but until I'm elected to Congress, what am I to do?"_

 _" Narrowly construe the statute, Your Honor. Rule that merely returning fire does not violate the law."_

 _The judge sighs and bangs his gavel, " We are in recess until tomorrow at zero-nine hundred."_

0202 ZULU  
VISITING OFFICERS QUARTERS  
MCAS YUMA, ARIZONA

"You know, it'll be nice to not have to sneak around."

"What are you talking about?" Mac asked, puzzled.

"You know, impropriety and all with the hearings. I'd like to be able to see and talk to the mother of my unborn child without fear of being investigated."

"Harm, until or unless one of us is transferred, it's always something that could happen, especially now. Someday, someone is going to ask a question that I won't be able to give an answer for without incriminating the both of us."

"I don't know why I never thought of that," Harm flopped back on the bed he was sitting on, hands interlaced and tucked behind his head, "The admiral never asked you who the father was when you told him?"

"No. In fact, the only time he's ever really commented on anything related to my pregnancy, was when he practically ordered me to go requisition maternity uniforms," she rolled her eyes then reached out, "Hey, come here."

He got up quickly, thinking something was wrong. She stood up and met him half way, taking his hand and pressing it to the side of her belly with a smile. Under his hand, he could feel a gentle thump then a roll and a limb stretch, then retreat.

"Does he do that a lot?"

"All the time. He's probably getting cramped in there, by now. If he's anything like you, he'll come out the height of a preschooler."

She looked up from their hands to meet his eyes, immediately feeling a magnetic pull. His head dipped down, pressing his lips to hers, gently. She responded by deepening the kiss, yielding to his actions. He trailed his hands from her stomach to her hips, tucking his fingers just under the hem of her shirt, teasing the skin just above the waistband of her pants, and pulling her closer to him.

Breathless, she pulled back, "We can't."

Dropping his head to her shoulder, then stepping back all he said was, "Okay."

1713 ZULU  
PICHACO LIBRARY  
YUMA, ARIZONA

 _"It is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish between an act of terrorism worthy of a military response, and a criminal act better suited for police jurisdiction. And while I have reservations about Major Tunney's behavior, I also remember our government's first response to the attack on the World Trade Center was to scramble F-16s over the East Coast. What Major Tunney did cannot be considered a national security defense countermeasure, but I do believe he acted in good faith to preserve the lives of US citizens he saw taking fire. I do not find that reasonable grounds exist to charge Major Tunney with an Article 92 violation. Therefore I recommend that no disciplinary action be taken. This hearing is concluded," the judge stands and gathers his things._

 _" Congratulations, Major," Harm turns to Tunney, shaking his hand._

 _"Thanks, Commander."_

 _Colonel Pittman stepped up, "Major, you, uh, certainly dodged a bullet today."_

 _"Yes, sir."_

 _"Unfortunately, the wing commander doesn't listen to Navy JAG lawyers. You're being transferred TAD out of the squadron, pending a FENAB to evaluate your flying status. I guess he figures public perception of the Corps is more important than one man's career."_

 _"Sir-"_

 _" It's, uh It's already done, Major. Come see me in my office to receive your orders."_

 _"So, was it worth it, Major? " Mac asked._

 _"Yes, ma'am. I'd do it again."_

Harm and Mac shared a perplexed look. Mac shook her head slightly, then began to collect her things. Harm's gaze lingered just a little longer than was proper, before he too began gathering up the notepad and documents on the defense table.


	7. A Merry Little Christmas

0134 ZULU  
BLACKSBURG MUNICIPAL AIRPORT  
BLACKSBURG, VIRGINIA

 _Harm and Mattie sat fiddling with a carburetor inside the Grace Aviation hangar. All was dark except a single desk lamp on the work table._

 _"Alright, let's go over it one more time."_

 _"I don't chew gum or spit on the courtroom floor. Call the judge 'Your Honor'," Mattie recited._

 _"Good. What else?"_

 _" I answer all questions directly. I don't volunteer more information than is asked for."_

 _"And?"_

 _"And I speak from the heart, and I tell them why I want you to be my guardian."_

 _"Excellent. Just keep it simple."_

 _"So, what do I tell the judge? You fly a Stearman good, and instead of Mrs. Del Mucci's Bean casserole, you let me eat pizza seven days a week?_

 _"Oh, yeah, well, that'll convince 'em. You own a dress?"_

 _"No."_

 _"Well, you're going to have to get one."_

 _"Whatever spare cash I have goes into the business."_

 _"It's my treat," Harm finally looks up from the part he was repairing._

 _"Why, so I can pretend to be someone I'm not?"_

 _" It shows respect for the court and for yourself."_

 _"Now you sound like my mom."_

 _"Well, I would've liked your mother."_

 _"You're a lot like her... Inside."_

 _A door opened and closed quickly, emitting a blast of cold air, snow, and a man bundled up in a black jacket and a suit._

 _"Matilda Grace?"_

 _" That's me."_

 _"I'm Harry Clark. You haven't returned my phone calls or answered my registered letters."_

 _"I've been busy."_

 _"Well, that's no excuse. "_

 _Seeing Mattie on the defense, Harm draws himself up to his full height and is by her side in two strides, "Maybe you'd like to change your tone."_

 _"And who are you?"_

 _Harm hesitated, "I'm a former employee."_

 _"Are you looking for a job, because I take possession of this hangar in two days. I want all this crap moved out of here by that time. Whatever's left will be sold or thrown away."_

 _Mattie pulls a half gallon of milk out of the fridge and pours two glasses before pulling the reheated pizza out of the oven._

 _"I had a few problems with the business."_

 _" Why didn't you tell me?"_

 _"So you'd think I was a screw-up?"_

 _"So I could help."_

 _"I do things my way, Harm, for better or worse."_

 _"You're 14, Mattie."_

 _"Fifteen."_

 _"You had a birthday?"_

 _" Yeah."_

 _"When? You could've told me."_

 _"Why?"_

 _"Gee, I don't know. Cake, presents, you know, the usual."_

 _"Hugs all around? I'm not big into birthdays."_

 _"Besides, what if you told the whole world it was your birthday, and you threw a big party, and nobody came?"_

 _"Wow, Mattie, you've got to start having a little more faith in people."_

 _"Well, people suck. They always let you down, except for maybe you, and I'm still not sure about that."_

 _"You're not going to be trouble, are you?"_

 _"Nothing you can't handle."_

 _"Look, why don't you take me through this from the beginning? When I hired you, I was this close to closing up shop. Then winter came. No more crops to dust. Just a little brush clearing. I asked the bank for a break on the hangar payments. I didn't get any. My dad had taken out the loan. The bank found out I was running the business, so they sold it at auction."_

 _"What about the house?"_

 _" Still mine."_

 _"You own it outright?"_

 _" Bank's got a note. I can't lose this house, Harm. It's all I've got left of my mom, and she gave it to me."_

 _"We'll find a way to make the payments. How old is this pizza, anyway?"_

 _"Which topping? Uh, meatball was last Monday. Anchovies were last week sometime."_

 _"My God. Look, Mattie, get your jacket on."_

 _"Where are we going?"_

 _" We're going to get something decent to eat, and then we'll talk about the house."_

 _Harm and Mattie peek around the curtain, out the window as a car pulls up in the driveway._

 _" What's a guardian ad-litem, anyway?"_

 _"Uh, they're appointed by the court to look into my suitability."_

 _"Why doesn't she just ask me?"_

 _" She will."_

 _They make their way to the door and open it as she walks up onto the porch._

 _"Good afternoon, Mattie."_

 _"Ma'am."_

 _"Commander Rabb, I'm Donna LeMoyne," she finishes dusting the snow out of her hair and shakes Harm's hand._

 _"Pleasure to meet you, Ms. LeMoyne. Please come in."_

 _"Uh, the Commander and I will need to talk in private."_

 _"Yes, ma'am."_

 _"Have a seat, please."_

 _"I will start with a few simple questions. Where will Mattie be living?"_

 _" Uh, with me."_

 _"Social Services will need to schedule a home inspection. They will contact you directly."_

 _"Understood."_

 _"Let's see... What arrangements have you made for her schooling?"_

 _" I'm still working on it."_

 _"I'll need to know before the custody hearing."_

 _"Now, your pay grade allows you to assume the care of a minor child?"_

 _"Oh, I can take care of Mattie."_

 _"Your work take you out of town?"_

 _" Upon occasion."_

 _" Out of the country?"_

 _" Yes."_

 _"Well, what arrangements have you made for Mattie's care when you're absent from the home?"_

 _" I'm still working on that."_

 _"Is she mature enough to be home by herself?"_

 _"Well, she's lived alone here for the last six months."_

 _"That's not really an answer to my question, Commander."_

 _"Arrangements will be made, Ms. LeMoyne."_

 _"I'll not leave Mattie alone."_

 _Ms. LeMoyne looked a bit concerned, "So, you're still working on that, also?"_

 _"You can rest assured Mattie will be well taken care of."_

 _"It's not your assurances I'm interested in, Commander. Have you ever been married?"_

 _"No."_

 _"Do you have other children?"_

"Not currently."

 _"Do you have a significant other?"_

 _"No."_

 _"Are you gay?"_

 _"No."_

 _"So, you have no one in your life."_

 _"No."_

 _"I find that hard to believe."_

 _"Well, I'll tell you, Ms. LeMoyne, it confounds me at times, too."_

 _"Why do you want custody of this child?"_

 _"Somebody needs to take care of this little girl, ma'am."_

 _"She has a biological father."_

 _"We looked for him."_

 _"There are other relatives."_

 _"None that are in a position to take care of Mattie, nor want to. Uh, besides, this is what she wants."_

 _"How long have you known Ms. Grace?"_

 _"Awhile."_

 _"Awhile..?"_

 _"How did you meet?"_

 _"I worked for her."_

 _"Doing what?"_

 _"Crop dusting. She was a good boss."_

 _"Is this a whim, Commander?"_

 _"No."_

 _"Are you doing this out of pity?"_

 _"I'm doing this out of affection, ma'am."_

 _"It's acceptable if you say love. Get back to me when you finish making arrangements. Social Services will call to set up a home inspection. Then I will need to speak with someone close to you who can vouch for your suitability as a parent."_

 _"Good to meet you."_

 _"Merry Christmas."_

 _Harm picks his way across Mac's apartment, picking up mementos and replacing them. It'd been a while since he'd seen her outside of work, and the first time they'd had a chance to speak about anything but work. She had been in the middle of wrapping Christmas presents when Harm had shown up outside of her door, unannounced._

 _"I need you to vouch for me."_

 _"In love or war? As a family man."_

 _"Hmm."_

 _"Well, when was the last time you called your mother? I-I don't remember."_

 _"So we've established that you're a lousy son," she jokes while taking a sip out of a mug of tea._

 _"What kind of a parent do you think I'd make? Well, I did once agree to your fathering my child, if you remember."_

 _"Yeah, if neither of us had someone in five years."_

 _"_ Well, looks like that's happening a bit sooner than planned," she smoothed down the front of her shirt.

 _"Something's come up, Mac."_

 _"Another woman?"_

 _"A child. I'm petitioning the state of Virginia for the custody of a minor. I need you to vouch for me with the court."_

 _"How long have you known you were going to do this?"_

 _"A few months."_

 _"And this is the first I'm hearing about it?"_

 _"Hey, you moved on. I-I I didn't think you'd be interested."_

 _"Well, of all the dumb things that you have said to me in eight years, that is by far the dumbest._ How much moving on do you think I can do at seven and a half months pregnant, Harm? _"_

 _"_ Hey, some guys are into that, but still, _you don't deny it?" he sighs, "Mac, I don't want to argue about us right now."_

 _"There is no us."_

 _"Well, yeah, you made sure of that."_

 _"Well, you didn't fight me."_

 _"Look, there is a little girl who needs someone to watch over her."_

 _" So, you've decided to take that responsibility?_ I won't dispute the fact that this girl needs help, I trust that you can determine that on your own, but you also have a little boy who will be here in a little over a month and a half who is going to need you, too. Can you find a balance? Either way, I have no issues taking care of him myself, as I've said."

 _"_ So you have a problem with me taking on this responsibility? _"_

 _"No, I have a problem with you cutting me out of your life until you need something."_

 _"Forget about it. It's too important for you to screw up."_

Harm stormed out, leaving Mac barely holding it together in his wake. Tears beginning to cascade down her cheeks. Shaking her head and wiping away the wetness from her face, she returned to the couch, propping her elbows on her knees, and smothering her face in her hands.

 _"So far this is what we have established."_

 _"Smoke detector, sufficient heat, adequate light, working telephone, working toilet. Do you primarily survive on beer and tofu."_

 _"There's other things in there. Mostly I order take out."_

 _"Do you have a problem with alcohol?"_

 _"No."_

 _"You know, Mr. Watley, I'm a pretty good cook when I set my hand to it."_

 _"You have a child in the house, so you cook every day whether you feel like it or not," the man inspected the pans hanging over the stove after examining the bottles of cooking wine on the counter._

 _"Do you have a firearm in the house?"_

 _"Yes, sir, but it's under lock and key."_

 _"You ever have cause to employ it?"_

 _"Once or twice, in the line of duty."_

 _"Aren't you a lawyer, Commander Rabb? Well, I'm also a war veteran, a Naval officer and qualified F-14 pilot."_

 _"Then there's the matter of the separate bedroom."_

 _"How do you plan to deal with that?"_

 _"I don't know yet."_

 _"If you can't find a solution, you'll be required to move."_

 _"Look, Mr. Watley, this is all happening very quickly and I haven't had time to work out the fine points. A bedroom for a child is not a fine point. How long have you lived alone?"_

 _"Since I was 17."_

 _"No roommates."_

 _"Not since the Academy."_

 _"What kind of relationship did you have with your father?"_

 _"I never really had a chance at one, sir. He went missing in action when I was five."_

 _What do you know about raising children?"_

 _"Honestly, not a lot."_

 _"I hope you have a better answer when you appear at the custody hearing."_

 _"I intend to. Look, I'm playing catch up right now, Mr. Watley."_

 _"_ _The Adolescent Girl: A Study In Pathology_ _._ _Between Sixteen and Sex: Raising a Teenage Girl_ _. You seem to be prepared for the worst."_

 _"I'm a fighter pilot, Mr. Watley. We prepare for the worst, that way we cut down on our surprises."_

 _"Mm. Have you ever crashed?"_

 _"Oh, yeah."_

 _"More than once?"_

 _" Four times."_

 _"And you intend to keep flying, Commander?"_

 _" Yes, I do."_

 _"I'll say this about you, Commander: You are refreshingly candid."_

 _The return of Mattie's father had her in an extremely sour mood, reflected by her snippiness before court even started._

 _"Commander Rabb, you have petitioned the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court to become the guardian of Matilda Grace Johnson, a minor child."_

 _"I have, Your Honor."_

 _"I have read the reports of Donna LeMoyne, the guardian-ad-litem, and the home inspection report of Morgan Watley."_

 _"Both reports raise questions. But both indicate a refreshing honesty and realistic appraisal of the challenge you face."_

 _"I would be glad to answer any questions the court has, Your Honor."_

 _"And you will have your chance. However, this matter has become complicated due to the return of Thomas Johnson, Matilda Grace Johnson's biological father. Mr. Johnson, I understand at this time you wish to address the court."_

 _"I do, Your Honor."_

 _"You need to convince me that you are willing and capable of taking care of this child. So before you speak your piece, I have a few questions for you. Firstly, where have you been the last six months?"_

 _" Well, I've been trying to get my life back together, Your Honor," Tom was almost stumbling to find his words._

 _"And you left Matilda on her own?"_

 _" No, I left her with relatives. She chose not to stay with them. Mattie can be, uh, strong willed."_

 _"And what's to say that you will not abandon this child a second time? "_

 _"Well, ma'am, I was the victim of a very unfortunate accident."_

 _"You killed my mother."_

 _"Miss Johnson."_

 _"My name is Grace. Mattie Grace. Johnson is his name. And he was drunk."_

 _"Mattie. Sit down."_

 _"Your father has a right to be heard, and you need to respect this court."_

 _"I'm sorry, Your Honor."_

 _"Apology accepted, Miss Grace."_

 _"Your Honor I wasn't always the way I am now. Mattie might not remember, in fact she might not want to remember, but I used to be a good man. And I was a good father. See, her mama used to work nights and I'd make the dinner. I used to read to her. She seems to have forgotten all that now. The fact is, Your Honor, I've made some mistakes. Made some big ones. Things I can never repent for, no matter how much I wish I could. But I am trying to be a better man, for Mattie. And all I'm asking you is to give her the chance to get to know me the way that I am now."_

 _"May I say something, Your Honor?"_

 _" This is your day, Mattie."_

 _"There is no way that this man can make it up to me. He got behind the wheel when he was drunk."_

 _"I will never forgive him for that. Commander Rabb has offered to make a place for me in his life. I promise to do what he says. I won't make any trouble for him."_

 _"Trouble is a part of life. I am only interested in how Commander Rabb is going to handle that trouble. Your Honor, I lost my father when I was young. Not because he left, but because he went missing in action in Vietnam. I know what it's like to grow up without a father. And I don't take the responsibility of fatherhood lightly. I give my word to this court, Your Honor, that I will do my level best to be sure that Mattie gets everything she deserves. I've given her my word that she will never be alone in this world again."_

 _"Yeah, well, there's only one problem with that, you're not her father."_

 _"Donna LeMoyne was most impressed with Commander Rabb. She believes he would make a very suitable guardian."_

 _"But doesn't a man have a right to be with his own child? That is a primary consideration, Mr. Johnson. However, this court must also consider what kind of father you will make. And also what kind of guardian Commander Rabb will make."_

 _A bailiff opens the door and steps in, "Your Honor, there's a character witness who would like to be heard. A Lieutenant Colonel Mackenzie."_

 _All eyes were on Mac, as she stepped into the court room behind the bailiff. Harm looked at her, perplexed but also disbelieving._

 _"Your Honor, I've been a colleague of Commander Rabb's for eight years. I have the highest level of respect for his honor and integrity."_

 _"What is your opinion of his suitability as a guardian for Mattie Grace? "_

 _"Highly suitable, Your Honor."_

 _"On what do you base that opinion, Colonel? "_

 _"Your Honor, I have seen the Commander put his own life at risk to protect the son of a fellow aviator who was killed in the line of duty. The Commander has always taken a personal interest in cases involving children, Your Honor. He's taken a child witness into his home and pulled strings to get medical attention for a traumatized little girl after he made it his personal quest to solve that little girl's sister's murder."_

 _"That does speak well of the Commander. What else can you give me?"_

 _"I've given a lot of thought to the kind of man that I would want to be the father of my children," she paused looking down and busied her nervous hands with the olive brown fabric of her cover, taking a breath, she continued, " Commander Rabb is that kind of man, Your Honor. I can't prove it to you. I can only state without reservation that he is up to the job."_

 _Mac took her seat on a bench behind Harm and Mattie's table while the judge took a moment to mull over Mac's assessment of Harm, and also skeptically taking note of Mac's 30 plus week state of pregnancy._

 _The judge continued, "Thank you, Colonel. You both make compelling cases for custody. Mr. Johnson, while you do share biology and a history with Mattie, it will be very difficult for you to continue your recovery while caring for a minor child. Commander Rabb, your lack of experience with children combined with your professional responsibilities makes you equally questionable in my mind as a suitable guardian. I need to take this matter under submission to determine what is in Mattie's best interest. In the meantime, Mattie, I'm going to temporarily place you into foster care."_

 _"Your Honor, why can't I just go home?"_

 _"I'm sorry. That is no longer an option. Social Services will find an appropriate temporary foster family for you to stay with until I can sort through these issues."_

At the Christmas Eve service, Mac had chosen to sit on the opposite side of the church from Harm and Mattie, though they arrived at the same time, because she was still nervous about the testimony she'd given at Mattie's custody hearing. The service, led by CDR Sturgis Turner's father, CAPT Matthew Turner was simple, but beautiful, Mac stealing occasional glances at the quasi-father/daughter duo. After the service, Harm and Mattie were some of the first out of the chapel, so as not to keep Tom Johnson waiting for too long. Mac coming out just after Mattie departed, seeing the forlorn look on Harm's face.

 _"You won't forget me?"_

 _" Are you kidding?"_

 _" I don't want you to see me cry."_

 _"Mattie I'm sorry."_

 _"You did your best. I'm going to have to get used to being without you. I'll send you the address of my new foster family. Come visit sometime."_

 _She hurried down to the Johnson's truck, and arrived just in time for Tom to fire up the engine. She knocked lightly, startling them, "Mr. Johnson?"_

 _"Colonel," he replied almost laughingly._

 _"May I speak with you?"_

 _"Do you want me to get lost?" Mattie piped up, excited at the possibility of spending just a few more minutes with Harm before being dropped off at the foster family's home._

 _"Might be best." Mac smiled at Mattie, then turned to Tom, "Why didn't you come inside?"_

 _" Because last time I was inside a church, I was burying my wife. Now I'm losing Mattie to a bunch of strangers. I'm supposed to drop her off tonight."_

 _"I'd like to speak with you, sir, as one alcoholic to another."_

 _Tom looked up, surprised at the marine's words. She'd been surprising him all evening, it seemed._

Harm turned around from running his fingers along his father's name on The Wall and was shocked to see Mattie right behind him, _"Harm. Hi."_

 _"What are you doing here?"_

 _"You're my guardian. Mac talked to my dad. He agreed to step aside so I won't have to go to the foster family."_

 _He looked up from Mattie, bewildered at the woman who had come through for him not once, but twice that night, "How did you do that?"_

 _" I convinced him that now that he's stopped drinking, he'll have to start dealing with life, and he's not fit to take care of Mattie until he can take care of himself. Mr. Johnson agreed to a full course of treatment. And if he can pull his life together and if Mattie wants, then they'll give it a shot."_

 _"Until then I'm yours," Mattie wrapped her arms around Harm's waist hugging him, though he was still in shock from the events of the past five minutes, "You can hug me, you know. I-I won't break."_

 _"Good night," Mac smiled at Harm and turned to begin walking back up the wall toward the parking area._

 _"Where are you going?_

"Home," she smiled again, "Let you two get started on the first of hopefully many Rabb family holidays. _Merry Christmas."_

"Wait, Mac. You're just as much a part of this family as I am, " Mattie reasoned, "You and Harm have been, as he calls it, 'complicated', for years, right?"

Harm and Mac shared an awkward exchange of looks before Harm spoke up, "Please Mac, join us?"

She sighed, knowing defeat when she saw it, "Alright."

Shifting Mattie to under his left arm, Harm closed the distance between the trio and placed a gentle hand on Mac's lower back, leading them all up to the parking area.

Once at Harm's car, he looked around puzzled, "Where's your car? How did you two get here?"

"I traded in the Corvette last week," Mac replied gesturing to the brand new SUV parked next to Harm's Lexus with a small smile, "It was a two seater, remember? I've gotten to the point where I can hardly fit in there, forget a baby. I've been thinking about it for a while, it was great in the summer, but driving it in the snow was almost suicidal."

He agreed with a chuckle. Mattie shifted her things from Mac's car to Harm's, then climbed in the front passenger seat to wait for the two.

"So, uh, want to spend Christmas Eve night at my place?" Harm asked, throwing in his best smile to try to convince her to agree.

"Harm, you live in an 800 square foot studio. Mattie already has to sleep on your couch, where are you going to put me?" Mac asked doubtfully.

"Sleep with me?" he suggested, then quickly, "Uh, I mean... You know, we can share my bed. We don't have to- In fact, with Mattie there, that would be-"

She put her finger up to his lips to stop his word vomit, "I know what you mean. I have to stop by my place to pick up some things first. Meet you there?"

He took her gloved fingers that were still pressed to his lips into his hand and answered, "Sure. See you there."

An hour later, Mac was knocking on the door, with astonishing levels of coordination, arms laden with presents and a small duffel thrown over her shoulder. Harm answered, eyes widening immediately, quickly unloading most of the parcels from her arms.

"Mac, why didn't you call when you got here? You could have asked for help," he said squatting in front of his Christmas tree to deposit the presents.

She shrugged, taking off her snow dusted jacket and hanging it on the coat tree next to his door, "It was handled, no big deal."

"Hey Mac!" Mattie greeted, stepping down from Harm's bedroom area, dressed in her pajamas and freshly showered. She slid up onto one of the barstools at the kitchen island, turning to look at the two adults, "So, how's uh..?"

Mac laughed at Mattie's awkward gesturing, "He's great. Active, measuring a little bit ahead. Everything is good, he's very healthy baby."

"So you're having a boy? Do you have a name for him yet?" Mattie was in full on inquisitor mode, "Will he live with you all the time, or Harm..?"

"Yes, a boy. Uh, no name yet, but I've been working on making a list, and I- We haven't talked about that... Yet," she looked at Harm.

"Look, Mattie, there's a lot of things that haven't been fully worked out yet. For you or him, luckily, there's still some time to figure out his stuff. Right now, we need to work on getting you settled. But first, bed," he finished with a laugh, "Today has been a very long day full of surprises."

"Fine..." Mattie hopped down from the stool and climbed under the covers on the made up couch, "See you guys in the morning. Behave!"

Harm and Mac ascended the steps to Harm's 'bedroom' splitting off as they passed the glass partition. Harm went go to his dresser to pull out a pair of plaid flannel pajama pants and a t-shirt, Mac dropped her bag on the end of Harm's bed and took out her own pajamas, a pair of white fleece pants decorated with candy canes and holly, and a red, long sleeved t-shirt.

"Nice pajamas, Marine," Harm joked, "You have quite the collection."

"Some people collect postage stamps, some people collect more useful things," she laughed, tapping his chest as she brushed past him, heading into the bathroom.

Harm was dressed and getting into bed by the time she made her way out of the bathroom. She carefully folded the clothes she was wearing to pack them back into the bag, then climbed into the other side of the bed.

Settling down under the covers, she noticed Harm watching her from his side of the bed, propped up by his headboard, "What?"

"Nothing, just the last time we slept together, things didn't end... Pleasantly."

"Was that a Freudian slip?" she countered .

"What? Oh, no. I..." he stammered, "No, no. I'm actually looking forward to this new chapter in life, believe it or not. I just want everything to go well. I want to be the father mine didn't get to be."

"Harm, I meant what I said in court. You're a good man, you're going to make an excellent father. "

He scooted down to lay on his pillow, then gently drew her to him, so her head was on his chest and his arm around her. Smiling, she sighed contentedly.


	8. A Girl's Best Friend

_"Oh, Colonel, look! Look what the General sent, Harriet is going to be so excited that they all took the time to sign it. Look, everyone from the cast and crew of the USO show," Bud caught Mac on her way to from the copier, to show her a signed, framed picture._

 _"Huh, where is Harriet, anyway?" Mac asked, handing the photograph back to Bud._

 _"Oh, she's not coming in today, ma'am, little AJ's class is going to the zoo and she wanted to go along to make sure that he behaves. He's... Going through a phase," Bud explained, " Ma'am, if I may say so, you look really well rested recently."_

 _She looked at him, eyebrow raised amusedly._

 _Stumbling to cover himself, he continued, "What I mean to say, is its been a long time since I've seen you so... Uh, content?"_

 _She smiled, "You're fishing, aren't you?"_

 _"I'm just happy if you're happy. And Agent Webb... If he's the reason that you're happy?"_

 _"Don't believe everything you hear, Lieutenant," she said without explanation, and turned to walk back into her office._

The rumors were getting ridiculous, the further along she got. She'd remained tight lipped about anything relating to her pregnancy, the only ones who knew more than vague details were the Admiral, who was running mostly on assumptions; Harm and Mattie were really the only ones privy to the particulars.

 _Harm finished the coffee in his mug as he descended the three steps from his bedroom and finished buttoning his uniform jacket. He picked up his cover and placed the coffee cup in the sink just as he heard a knock on the door. Opening it, he found Mattie Grace on the other side._

 _"Hey, I was just coming to get you."_

 _"Hey, I thought I'd spare you the trouble," she entered his apartment, tossing her backpack on the floor and grabbing a can of soda from the refrigerator._

 _"You didn't drive again, did you?"_

 _"Relax, Harm, I caught the bus. I'm fine."_

 _"So, uh, talk to your dad?" he raised his eyebrows._

 _"He called. I thanked him for letting you be my guardian," she replied before taking a sip from the can._

 _"Is that all you said?"_

 _"That's all there is to say. Can we not... Talk about this?"_

 _"Okay. Uh... Hey, listen, I was thinking that, uh, because neither one of us has had any sense of real permanence in their life, an apartment is hardly permanent. I have a real estate agent looking at two bedroom houses in Falls Church."_

 _"I dunno, Harm, I've been living on farms most of my life. I thought maybe I'd be ready to live in the city for a while," she picked up a folded sheet of paper from the counter, "I saw this in front of the building on my way up. There's an apartment available just down the hall."_

 _"Mattie, we didn't just go through all of this so you and I could be neighbors. You need to... I need to have you here to look after me."_

 _"It wouldn't be forever, Harm. It'd just be until we found out dream home."_

 _"You can't live alone, Mattie."_

 _"Why not? You trust me, don't you?"_

 _"Can't I start school tomorrow instead?" Mattie asked as they passed through the doors and into the bullpen, "I want to hang out here and meet all your friends. I mean, I am a part of your life, Harm."_

 _"We can't put it off forever, Mattie, you're already a half a year behind."_

 _"Maybe that's why I don't wanna go," she responded pointedly._

 _"Good afternoon, sir," Jennifer Coates greeted the pair._

 _"Hey, petty officer. Uh, Petty Officer Coates, this is Mattie Grace. Mattie is my ward."_

 _"Hey Mattie, I've heard a lot about you," Jennifer shook Mattie's hand, "I'm Jennifer."_

 _"I think I talked to you on the phone, once"_

 _"You know, I hated school, too."_

 _"Probably not for the same reasons."_

 _"No? Try me," Jenn challenged._

 _"Well, look at you, you're the cheerleader type."_

 _Jennifer chuckled, "I wasn't always. My dad was a minister and made me dress like a real geek."_

 _Mattie laughed, "Is there a ladies room around here?"_

 _"Yeah, its straight past the elevator," Jennifer pointed, "Congratulations, sir, she seems like a special girl."_

 _He nodded and smiled, "Thank you. I think so."_

 _Jennifer turns to leave just as Admiral Chegwidden joins them holding a hanger from the dry cleaner._

 _"Coates, tell me I just didn't find this hanging in the galley," he pleads handing over the parcel of clothing._

 _"I wish I could, sir."_

 _"Solve your closet problems, petty officer. That's an order."_

 _"Aye aye, sir."_

 _"So, Commander, welcome to parenthood," AJ turns to Harm._

 _"Thank you, sir," Harm says with a smile._

 _Meredith Cavanaugh joins the group for a split second before dragging the Admiral off to his office to interrogate him about the diamond in the engagement ring he bought. Confused and clueless about what the lack of serial number on the diamond could be, he calls Mac in to look at it. She may have gotten the quick run down and a "Good luck in Paraguay, try not to get yourself killed!", but aside from that, Mac had about as much knowledge as anyone._

 _"I'm not sure what I'm looking for, sir," she turned the gem under his office light, "The crash course I got before I went to Paraguay was enough to fool Sadik Fahd and his cronies, but the truth is, I'm not really qualified to give you an opinion on this. It certainly looks high quality."_

 _"This Professor Silvaggio just trying to stir up trouble?" he asked over her shoulder._

 _"Why would he do that?"_

 _"Eh, that's a good question. You know, when a man buys a diamond, its supposed to be a symbol of his feelings. I don't want Meredith to always have doubts about her engagement ring."_

 _"Admiral, I can have Clayton Webb's office set up a meeting for me with Agent Van Duyne. He's the CIA diamond expert who helped me prepare for my mission to Paraguay. He really knows his stuff," she offered._

 _Handing over the stone and its protective bag, the Admiral cracked a small smile, "I appreciate that Mac. The trip to South America seems to have done wonders for your professional relationship with Webb."_

 _"Living through Operation Chaco Boreal won me a little respect over at Langley. Sir, is there anything else I can do?"_

 _"No, that's all."_

 _"Yes sir," she snapped to, then turned and left._

 _Mattie met Harm back in the bullpen, after her trip to the ladies' room, "I have to get you to school, you should grab your knapsack out of my office."_

 _"Well hello!" Mac smiled brightly. She was on her way back from the Admiral's office when she spotted Harm and Mattie._

 _"Hey, Colonel MacKenzie," Mattie greeted the other woman warmly before walking off to Harm's office to grab her things._

 _"Hey," she turned to Harm, "Fatherhood seems to suit you."_

 _"Yeah, well, I owe it all to you, don't I?" he said ambiguously, "Speaking of which, have I told you how much I appreciate everything you did for Mattie and me?"_

 _"At least ten times, Harm. I was glad to do it."_

 _"Mac, let me ask you something. Say you're in an overcrowded apartment and somebody offers you a spacious one bedroom with a view of a park."_

 _"Who are we talking about?" Mac looks at Harm puzzled._

 _"He sighs and drops his voice to a whisper, "Petty Officer Coates."_

 _She looks over toward the petty officer's office and back to Harm, even more confused than before._

 _"An apartment came up in my building, Mattie wants it and I can't possibly let her live there by herself, but if Petty Officer Coates were there..."_

 _"Harm, has it escaped your notice that Petty Officer Coates is a young woman in her prime dating years and maybe she just doesn't want to sign on as a 24/7 baby-sitter?"_

 _"You think Coates has a boyfriend?" Harm asked almost incredulously._

 _"Maybe. You've proven that its possible to keep a secret around here," she smiled._

"Right back at ya," _he got out before a commotion broke out in Coates' office, "I guess this is my cue."_

1950 ZULU  
CIA HEADQUARTERS  
LANGLEY, VIRGINIA

 _"I was surprised when Agent Webb's assistant told me you would be coming," Mac and Van Duyne walked down a non-descript hallway in Spook Central, "The experiences you had in the Chaco as Sadik Fahd's prisoner would have frightened most people away from dealings with the CIA."_

 _"Well, I don't plan to go up against any terrorists this time, Agent Van Duyne. Mostly fun."_

 _"Yes, Webb has told me what happened," he led her into his office, "Any man hearing of such torture would have to question his own abilities to withstand them the way Agent Webb did."_

 _"You know, I stopped at Clay's office, earlier, I wouldn't suppose you'd know where he is today?"_

 _"No Colonel, professional courtesy. He would do the same for me if I were out of the office," he placed a small wooden box he'd picked up on his way in on his desk._

 _"But you're a diamond expert, you never have to go out in the field would you?"_

 _Changing the subject quickly, "You mentioned a stone."_

 _"Yes, uh. I was wondering if there was any way to tell if the stone was stolen?"_

 _"Unfortunately, not. "_

 _"That's what I was afraid of," she pulled the small bag out of her purse, "This stone came from an engagement ring."_

 _"Ah, yes, these tiny little pieces of compressed carbon that convey more than all the poets ever could."_

 _"Cynical about love, Agent Van Duyne?"_

 _"Uncomfortable as diamonds as a token of it, Colonel. You know what they can buy on the black market, you tend not to hear a love song when you look at one, but rather automatic weapons fire."_

 _The joking smile fell off of her face fairly quickly with his comment._

 _"The symmetry is uncanny. No imperfections. No inclusions. This stone is as clear as water."_

 _"Its a high quality diamond."_

 _"Even high quality stones tend to have flaws, Colonel. The growth structure of this stone is without blemish. Who did you say gave it to you?"_

 _"I uh, I didn't."_

 _"You must suspect something about the stone, you came to me for a reason," Van Duyne handed her back the diamond._

 _"Well, I came to you for an opinion," she said enigmatically, while putting the stone back in its bag, "And you gave me one. Thank you very much."_

 _"Word of advice, Colonel. I don't know what you're into, but I'd be careful," he opened the door and led her out._

1225 ZULU  
JAG HEADQUARTERS  
FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA

 _Admiral Chegwidden had called Mac and Bud into his office, conveying that the convening authority had assigned Mac the prosecution and Harm and Bud to defend. Detailing Meredith's anger and her holding him accountable for the issue, he criticized the amount of time she'd been spending with Professore Silvaggio._

 _"Have you even met him, sir?" Mac asked critically._

 _"No," was his quick answer._

 _"Maybe you should give your fiancé the benefit of the doubt. Meredith loves you and I wouldn't worry about the diamond. The source of the diamond doesn't cheapen the sentiment. Least you tried to do something romantic. Some guys can't even get that much right."_

 _"I thought you and Rabb had decided to forgive and forget?" he fired back as he took his place behind the monstrous desk._

 _She looked away fibbing, "I wasn't talking about Commander Rabb, sir."_

 _"Where the hell is Rabb anyway?" he asked as he dropped stiffly into his chair._

"Taking care of personal issues, sir. He wanted to see Mattie off for her first day of school."

"How are you dealing with this new... Development?"

"Mattie? They're good for each other. I'm glad they found one another."

"Mac," AJ sighed, "I think we both know that Commander Rabb is your child's father. Since it happened while Rabb was a civilian, there is no charges that could stick, though the current situation is a pretty gray area... He knows, right?"

"He does. He didn't believe it for a while, but he's come around since. I'm not worried about Harm and Mattie, Harm has been good about finding a balance. He takes excellent care of Mattie, and still finds time to do little things for us."

"Good... Good. Well, Colonel, I think that'll be all."

"Aye aye sir."

 _It didn't take much time for Mac, with Agent Van Duyne's help, to figure out where Admiral's diamond came from and how it ended up in Meredith's ring sans serial number. The Lieutenant charged with larceny for stealing the diamonds from the Navy lab plead guilty, claiming he wanted his wife to have the diamond ring she deserved, but he couldn't afford. While clearing their things off their tables, Mac looked over to Harm, commenting about how the Navy's diamonds were floating around the world, waiting for an unsavory character to buy them._

 _"You know the CIA diamond expert who gave me the lead on the navy lab... I think he may have gone rogue," she theorized._

 _"You've been spending a little too much time with Webb. Mac, a CIA operative goes underground? You gotta start getting used to that."_

 _"Yeah, maybe you're right. So, uh, LT Maravalis did it all for the love of a woman?"_

 _"Well, love can drive a man crazy," Harm said with a smirk._

 _"That road runs both ways," she looked at him meaningfully._

 _Looking at his watch, Harm asked Mac, "So, what're you doing right now?"_

 _"Why? You want to try the new Japanese place?"_

 _"I was thinking something a little less formal."_

 _"And then he said, 'You'd be okay if you lost the attitude'," Mattie imitated._

 _"You don't actually like this guy, do you? He sounds like a jerk!" Jenn asked_

 _Mattie laughed, sticking a handful of popcorn in her mouth, "No! Gross! He's a big dork."_

 _They were both startled at a knock on the door. Mattie jumped up to answer it, finding Harm and Mac on the other side._

 _"Hey!"_

 _"Hi," Mac responded with a smile, while Harm just stood there with his jaw on the floor._

 _"Mattie, you can't come to the door in your underwear!"_

 _"Its not underwear underwear. I mean, I'm wearing underwear under the boxers."_

 _Mac patted Harm on the shoulder, "Looks like you've got your work cut out for you, Dad."_

 _"Hello ma'am, sir," Jenn addressed their guests._

 _"Yeah, I'm beginning to feel like Captain Von Trapp," he responded to Mac._

 _"Who?" Mattie asked bemused._

 _"Captain Von Trapp, from the Sound of Music?" Mac supplemented._

 _"What's that?"_

 _"I guess we need a DVD player, Dad," Jenn smiled jokingly._

 _"Oh, I see, adopt one, get two? Was that the deal?"_

 _"_ Two for one and one you didn't even plan on accounting for. _Always knew you'd make a good family man,_ I just didn't realize how big of a family it would be, _" Mac added, eyes full of mirth._

 _"Stop it."_

 _"No, I meant that as a compliment. I'm really proud of what you're doing here," she gestured to the younger women._

 _She headed further into the room, sitting on one of the only chairs in the place, "What've you got?"_

 _"Popcorn?" offered Jennifer._

 _"Yeah."_

 _Harm looked at the trio and shook his head before joining them._

"Ma'am, what you just said about the one he didn't account for, does that mean the two of you are... together?" Jennifer asked from her seat on the floor.

"Uh... Not exactly. Its kind of a work in progress, but..." she looked at Harm seeking his approval.

He shrugged then nodded, acquiescing.

"Mattie won't be an only child for long. Harm is his father," she gestured to her seemingly ready to pop belly.

"Ma'am-"

"Mac, please."

"Mac, why would you let everyone think you and Agent Webb..?"

She shrugged, "It was just easier, at first. If everyone believed Webb and I were in a relationship, there would be less questions. When Harm was away, everyone knew most of the story of what happened in Paraguay, and so made a lot of assumptions. They kept asking questions about him that I didn't have answers to, so I let everyone just believe what they wanted, and life was simpler."

After her explanation, they all let the subject drop. Pizza was ordered and everyone sat around talking and laughing until Mattie began yawning.

Harm stood up, collecting the empty pizza boxes, disposing of them, and then looked at Mattie pointedly, and said simply, "Bed."

She waved him off, trudging off to the bedroom. Mac stood, following Harm to the door, intending on heading home, herself.

"Night Mac," he called from the door.

She looked back at him from the threshold of the elevator door and smiled, "Night Harm."


	9. Persian Gulf

1630 ZULU  
JAG HEADQUARTERS  
FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA

 _"Colonel MacKenzie, Commander Rabb, why is the Maravalis case still on my docket? The Lieutenant plead guilty to larceny and conduct unbecoming a month ago. Sentencing has been continued twice, the Lieutenant agreed to make full restitution for sixty two-carat synthetic diamonds which he stole from the Naval Research Laboratory. Has he done so?"_

Harm was forced to return to work after a just few short days spent with his newborn son. Mac, while still technically on maternity leave, was roped into showing up for just one short hearing and the retrieval of the diamonds and profits from Maravalis' exploits. Leaving little Matthew Rabb in the care of Lieutenant Harriet Roberts for the hopefully brief event, she was eager to get it over with, so she could rush back home to her comfy clothes and warm, welcoming bed.

 _Harm stood to address the judge, "Ma'am, the defendant sold thirty-six of the diamonds and deposited the money in an off-shore bank account. It has taken a little longer than anticipated to get that money back."_

 _"But its here now?"_

 _"As of this morning, yes ma'am."_

 _"And the twenty-four remaining diamonds?"_

 _"Also at the bank, your honor," Mac stood to address Judge Helfman, "In a safe deposit box. Lieutenant Maravalis has given us power of attorney , we'll collect the diamonds and a cashier's check this afternoon, wrap this case up tomorrow."_

 _"See that it happens," the Commander bangs her gavel, dismissing the court._

 _Maravalis was led to the back of the courtroom, moving between the defense and prosecution tables, giving Mac a murderous look as he passed. After securing for the afternoon, Mac and Harm made their way outside, to their vehicles, intending to retrieve the diamonds and money from the bank._

 _"Mac, they're going to be there. What do you think he lied at his pre-trial agreement? He's not that stupid."_

 _"Yeah, maybe not, but I'll just feel better when the diamonds are secured. Ever since Van Duyn went missing..."_

 _"Oh, the diamond expert. He's in the CIA, Mac, you don't know that he's missing. You just don't know where he is," he unlocked and opened the door to his cherry red classic Corvette._

 _Mac rounded the back end of the car, heading toward her own, "I just have a feeling Harm, something's gone wrong."_

 _"Another premonition, huh? They're there. I'll see you at the bank."_

 _Harm removed his cover as he entered the car, closing the door behind himself. He placed the key in the ignition, and instead of hearing the engine roar to life, he got a rapid clicking. Sighing in frustration, he opened the door and climbed out, turning to access the battery beneath the seat. After just a few seconds of inspecting it, the battery blew in his face, causing him to smack his head against the roof and pull out of the car in incredible pain._

 _"Harm?" Mac heard the pop and Harm's shout, immediately turning and running back in the direction she came from._

 _He called her name, not hearing anything in response, other than a piercing high pitched ringing, but saw her running toward him after taking his hands away from his eyes. She was saying something to him, but he couldn't even make out what she was saying by looking at her, all he could see was the world spinning and moving around him._

 _She repeated herself, but he became frustrated almost immediately, "What? I can't hear you. I can't hear anything."_

Mac shook her head, taking his hand to pull him away from the car. She retrieved his keys from the ignition, closing and locking the car door before guiding him gently into her car and to the hospital. Once they made it to the emergency room and were checked in, she stepped out to make a call to the admiral, explaining the situation. He requested she return after making sure Harm was okay, so they could figure out what to do with his work load.

Later that day, Mac, Admiral Chegwidden, Commander Turner, and Lieutenant Roberts were seated around the admiral's desk.

 _"Commander Rabb will be in the hospital overnight for observation. He's lost his hearing, but that should be temporary."_

 _"Any idea what happened, Mac?" Sturgis Turner directed his attention to her._

 _"Car's battery blew up in his face. He's lucky he didn't get acid in his eyes,"_ her tone and body language let on that there was more to her concern than that of a just a friend or work colleague _._

 _"The final sentencing on the Maravalis case is scheduled for tomorrow. Lieutenant, you sat second chair, so you cover for Rabb."_

 _"Uh, shouldn't we wait until he returns, sir?" Roberts asked uncertainly._

 _"Is there a problem?"_

 _"No! No sir, I'm just not up to speed on the case."_

 _"I'll fill you in this afternoon, it should be strictly routine," Mac offered._

 _"Good. Commander, I'd appreciate it if you dropped by the hospital and got a list from Rabb of what needs to be covered in the next 48 hours."_

 _"Yes sir," Sturgis nodded._

 _"Dismissed"_

 _"Aye sir," Bud was the only one able to respond before the admiral strode out of the office._

 _Harm emerged from the bathroom, slightly unsteady on his feet. As soon as he'd oriented himself correctly and sat down on the bed, Jennifer Coates and Sturgis Turner appeared seemingly out of nowhere._

 _"Hello Commander!" Jennifer greeted, though he still was not aware of her being there._

 _"Harm!" Sturgis called, startling the tall Commander not with his voice, but their sudden presence._

 _"Hey guys!" he said, almost yelling._

 _Jennifer handed over the balloons she's brought, "You don't have to shout, sir."_

 _"How you doing, buddy?" Sturgis reached out to shake his hand, "How ya feeling?"_

 _"I can't hear anything," Harm said gesturing to his head, "Its frustrating"_

 _Sturgis laid the papers he was carrying on a table and left the room, "I have an idea. "_

 _"Have a seat," Harm gestured to the chair near the end of the bed, " Uh, Jennifer, we need to talk about Mattie."_

 _"I can hear you just fine sir."_

 _"Yeah, I feel fine, but we have to come up with a cover story for the next day or two."_

 _Sturgis returned with a children's dry-erase board. He'd written on the board for Harm's benefit, "4 U" and a smiley face._

 _"Nice!" Harm responded._

 _"For us, actually, " Sturgis smiled, flipping the board to show a second message, "Don't shout."_

 _"Was I shouting?" realization dawned on his face._

 _Jennifer turned her attention to Sturgis, "I could use some help, sir. The Commander doesn't want to tell Mattie he's in the hospital."_

 _"I, uh, I can't hear anything. Its driving me nuts. You know, look... Mattie already lost her mother and she has her father to worry about now. I don't want her to have to worry about me too, you know?"_

 _He noticed Jenn holding up the board, which he read aloud, "Lies= bad parenting."_

 _He looked between the two for a minute before picking up the phone, intent on calling her. Remembering he couldn't hear, he dropped the receiver , looking up to see Jennifer and Sturgis giggling quietly._

Later that evening, Mac appeared at the door to Harm's hospital room carrying a sleeping baby Matthew. Noting that the tiny baby wasn't the only one sleeping, she pulled up the single chair in his room and sat down, settling herself and the baby before reaching over to gently stroke the side of Harm's face. His eyes opened slowly and a smile spread across his face, Harm noted pleasantly that Mac had finally given in and dressed the boy in his favorite sleeper, one patterned with little yellow bi-planes and fluffy, sky blue clouds. Seeing her open her mouth to speak, Harm reached over to the table beside his bed to retrieve the dry-erase board his friends had brought him. He gestured for her to pass him the baby, and as soon as she did, he passed her the board and a marker.

"How are you feeling?" she wrote.

"Useless," he said just a little too loudly, causing the little body curled up on him to startle.

He smiled sheepishly and continued in a quieter voice, "I'm getting released tomorrow. Will you take me home?"

Mac nodded in the affirmative before looking back down to the dry erase board, "Do you need anything before you leave?"

"Maybe another shirt," he chuckled as little Matt smiled in his sleep and spit up on his chest.

1330 ZULU  
MARINE BRIG  
QUANTICO, VIRGINIA

Both Bud and Mac were frustrated and angry that Maravalis played them. The quick trip to his bank's safety deposit box turned up nothing but more questions. They'd discovered an empty box and Agent Van Duyn's signature on the access card dated a week before he went missing.

 _"What the hell were you thinking?" Mac admonished LT Maravalis, "Well, your plea agreement just went out the window. You think five years is a long time? Now its_ _ **10**_ _. Talk to me. Why was a CIA agent's name on the signature card of your safe deposit box?"_

 _"And why didn't you tell the court?" Bud supplemented._

 _"I couldn't," Maravalis answered simply._

 _"Why not?"_

 _"Because Van Duyn was the one buying the diamonds from me."_

 _"You were selling diamonds to the CIA?" Mac looked unconvinced._

 _"No ma'am, Van Duyn was on his own. He was reselling the diamonds to people he said would kill him if his cover was blown."_

 _"What people?"_

 _"I don't know ma'am, I didn't want to know. Van Duyn said if I didn't cop to the lesser charge, if I brought him into it, I'd be tried for treason."_

 _"Treason? Terrorists buy weapons with diamonds," Mac turned to Bud, "That was Sadik Fahd's specialty."_

 _"Colonel, I would have quit if I could, believe me. Ask Van Duyn, maybe he's still got the stones."_

 _"Agent Van Duyn's disappeared," Bud asserted._

1638 ZULU  
HARM'S APARTMENT  
NORTH OF UNION STATION

 _Mac had been knocking for almost ten minutes, by the time Mattie had finally come out into the hallway to tell her Harm was home and the door was unlocked. She was surprised anyone could hear anything over the incredibly loud music emanating from his apartment. Opening the door, she found him sitting on the couch, reading a magazine._

 _"Harm?" she called, to no reply. Trying again, louder, "Harm?"_

 _She waved her arms, hoping the motion would get his attention._

 _"Oh, hey! I didn't hear you come in," he said closing the magazine._

 _"I could be Godzilla, and you wouldn't hear me," she mused to herself, then raised her voice so he might hear, "Do you mind if I turn it down?"_

 _"What?"_

 _She picked up the stereo remote and lowered the volume of his music, then sat down in front of him on the coffee table, making sure she was in his line of sight._

 _"Can you hear me at all?"_

 _"Yeah, yeah, I can hear you if you'd speak up," he shouted._

 _She leaned forward and annunciated each word, "The diamonds weren't there."_

 _"Well, chalk one up for premonitions."_

 _"Van Duyn was murdered."_

 _"Make that two."_

 _"Slowly. He was tortured to death._

 _"Wow, better make that three."_

 _"Remember what you said when we lost Sadik Fahd in Paraguay? That we'd see him again when he came to kill us? I think he's here, Harm, and this time the stakes are a lot bigger than Stinger missiles."_

 _"He's not the only terrorist who deals in torture and diamonds, Mac. I think you're jumping to conclusions."_

 _"What about your car?"_

 _"It could've been any number of things. A cracked battery could cause an explosion. You think Sadik did it."_

 _"Doesn't look like a coincidence to me."_

 _Harm sighed picking up his magazine and his empty coffee cup, "I don't know him as well as you do Mac, but what I do know about him is..."_

 _He stumbled slightly getting up, feeling more dizzy the higher he rose._

 _She stood up to help support him a concerned look crossing her face, "You okay?"_

 _"Yeah, I-I'm, uh... Whoa... A little dizzy. Inner ear... Thing. Listen, what I do know of Sadik, he's pretty thorough, so if he wanted me killed, I would already be dead."_

 _"Yeah, maybe he just wanted you out of the picture."_

 _"Have you talked to Webb about this?"_

 _"On assignment. Undisclosed location._ I've already called his office and gotten the standard message. _"_

 _Mattie came in bearing a plate of food, "Stay for lunch, Mac? I made some extra sandwiches."_

 _"No, thanks, Mattie. I have to get back to the office. Take care of him for me, will you?"_

 _Harm looked up just as their lips stopped moving, "You two talking about me?"_

 _In lieu of an answer, Mattie holds up the plate of sandwiches._

 _"I'm not hungry, Mattie," was his petulant reply._

 _She looks him dead in the eye, speaking loudly and clear enough for him to raise an eyebrow, "Mattie says eat."_

 _Not long after Mac arrived back at headquarters, Bud stuck his head in her office door, knocking, "You wanted to see me, ma'am?"_

 _Closing a file labeled 'top secret' and returning it to its file drawer, Mac turns toward him, "I think I know where the diamonds are, Bud. "_

 _"Well, I guess that's good news, ma'am."_

 _"Been looking through the dossier Van Duyn gave me on Lieutenant Maravalis. The CIA doesn't operate inside the country, right?" Bud nodded his head, fairly sure of his answer, "Wrong. They were following him for months. Van Duyn knew everything there was to know about Maravalis- the health club he belonged to, where he got his hair cut, even the combination of the locker he kept at the place he bought his cigars."_

 _"And?"_

 _"I think that might be where the diamonds are," she postulated as she fastened her overcoat._

 _Well, I suppose that's_ possible _..."_

 _Mac cut Bud off, "I want to look inside that locker, Bud, but I can't do it by myself. You've got the power of attorney. Now, if the diamonds_ are _there, I need_ you _to keep the chain of custody._

 _The man running the front desk at Maravalis' cigar club was not happy about the lawyers' insistence that they be let into the LT's locker, "Look, this is a private club. I don't know if I can allow you just to walk in..."_

 _You afraid that we're going to find something that we shouldn't?" Bud inquired, "Like Cuban cigars?"_

 _"We are not responsible for what our members keep in their locker," he insisted._

 _Mac was sick of playing games, antsy to get the diamonds and wrap up the case, "Look, we're not with customs. We don't care what your members smoke or where they got them."_

 _Bud turned to Mac, conspiratorially, "Although, we could go and get a court order. And let customs know, so they don't have to come back later, cause that's pretty inconvenient."_

 _"Okay. All right. I'm gonna trust you," the man let Mac and Bud into the back room where the lockers were located._

 _Mac quickly found the right one, inputting the combination, while Bud pulled the door closed behind them. Immediately after opening the locker, Mac spotted a small pouch laying on top of a wooden box._

 _"Think we found them," she opened the pouch, gasping as it produced one diamond for inspection, "Beautiful, isn't it?"_

 _"It's amazing- spend a few billion years in the bowels of the earth, or a few days at the Naval Research Laboratory, and pure carbon turns into that," Bud marveled._

 _"Here, hold out your hand," Mac instructed, upending the bag, four more diamonds fell out into Bud's palm._

 _"There should be 24 of them," he looked back up into the locker confused, while Mac felt the rest of the pouch then peered into the locker._

 _Finding nothing, she slapped the bag into Bud's hand frustratedly, pivoting and departing quickly, "19 are missing."_

 _Her brisk exodus and narrow focus missed the familiar tan skinned man sitting just on the other side of the door. Sadik Fahd slowly let the cigar smoke waft through his lips as he watched Sarah MacKenzie walk past him, and officially back into his life._

 _Mac unlocked her apartment door later that evening, curiously hearing a slow middle eastern melody as she opened the door. She stopped and looked around, after coming to the quick realization that she didn't leave the radio on when she left that morning. After doing a quick visual sweep of the open areas of her apartment, and retrieving the pistol she hid near the door, she quickly placed her sleeping child on the couch, quickly making sure there was no way for him to fall. As she moved to get a better position near her bedroom door, she noticed a diamond sparkling on top of the books and case notes she'd left spread across the coffee table. An inspection of her bedroom turned up the same thing, another perfect two-carat diamond, placed in the middle of her bed._

 _Minutes after finding the second diamond, her phone rang. She answered almost timidly, hearing strains of lively music, a woman singing in Farsi, and many voices speaking on top of one another._

 _Unnerved from the lack of response, she tried again in a louder, stronger voice, "Who is this?"_

 _After a few moments, a voice came on speaking a language she didn't understand, but that she recognized._

 _"I don't speak Arabic."_

 _This time, he spoke to her, so she could comprehend what he was saying, "Perhaps you would prefer if we speak Farsi, Sarah."_

 _"No," she responded to him in a condescending tone, "I'd prefer to speak English."_

 _"But you do speak Farsi," he taunted, "Something you neglected to tell me during our time together in the Chaco Boreal."_

 _She thought back to his threatening words from the last time they were together, "Where are you?"_

 _"Near, very near."_

 _"Near enough to have killed Van Duyn?"_

 _"He broke his word, betrayed my cause. His greed cost him his life. But I did not call you about Van Duyn. It's good to hear your voice, Sarah. Are you surprised to hear mine?"_

 _"Why are you calling me?" she demanded after listening to him carry on._

 _"Well, I thought you might enjoy some music from our part of the world. It seems we share a common heritage. Oh, by the way, how did you like the gifts I left for you? A small token of my esteem, as they like to say in the west."_

 _"You can stuff the clichés, Sadik. We both know diamonds are your specialty. What do you want with me?" her voice was conveying her increasing rage at his violation of her privacy._

 _"I have... Great admiration for you, Sarah."_

 _"Which is why you almost tortured me to death in Paraguay?"_

 _"Yes, well, that was distressing circumstance. You see, at that time I was still confusing you with the enemy. I am truly sorry."_

 _"Sorry," she sneered._

 _"Except for the fact that it allowed me to see the great strength of your heart, yes. I would like to make it up to you."_

 _"How?"_

 _"To be honest, I'm not entirely sure," he chuckled, "You were incredibly brave in Paraguay, Sarah, more than any woman and most men that I have ever known. And when I saw you in the cigar store today..."_

 _"What are you saying? I don't understand."_

 _"All I know is, in our souls we are more alike than we are different. We are both warriors; we are both impassioned. I feel... Perhaps we will talk again... soon," and with a few more seconds of the music, he was gone._

A wail went up in the other room, pulling Mac out of her daze.

Harm, Jennifer and Mattie sat around his dining room table laughing about Mattie's Scrabble word choice when they all, except Harm, were disrupted by a loud knock on the door. Mattie sprang up, announcing that she would 'get it'.

 _"You'll get what?" asked Harm visually tracking her movement to the door._

 _"Oh, hey," said Mattie, moving back from the door to let Mac enter._

 _"Hi, Mattie," she smiled as she passed through the apartment's threshold._

 _"How's it going?" she asked conversationally._

 _"Good," Mac answered swiftly, depositing the infant car seat containing the small, bundled baby and his bag of necessities inside the apartment, before removing her gloves, "Uh, Jennifer, I need to speak with Harm, alone."_

 _"Yes, ma'am," Jenn stood promptly and herded Mattie out the door._

 _Harm came to stand closer to Mac, "What's up?"_

 _"I was right. Sadik's here, in DC, " Mac declared, " Did you hear that?"_

 _"Yeah, I- I heard you. Are you sure?"_

 _"He called me at my house," she sighed, "Two hours ago. And he killed Van Duyn."_

 _She produced a stack of photos, all depicting the face of Sadik Fahd, but with different disguises, from her pocket, which he looked at for a second then asked, "Where'd you get these?"_

 _"CIA."_

 _"Are they on him?"_

 _"They will be."_

 _"Well, what do you want me to do?"_

 _"Be careful. He may not look like any of those pictures._ And..." she trailed off looking behind them to the sleeping infant.

 _"You're the one who needs to be careful, Mac," Harm insisted._

 _"Believe me, I am," she adjusted her position in the chair._

 _"He knows your phone number, he knows where you live."_

 _"I have this creepy feeling that he's... he's studying me."_

 _"He wants to get you on your own. He's daring you to get closer to him."_

 _"Yeah, but why would he do that? It doesn't make sense."_

 _Harm raised his eyebrows, "He's seducing you."_

 _"What?" she asked incredulously._

 _"He's forced you to think about him. He wants something from you Mac and he just may have found your weakness."_

 _"What weakness?"_

 _"You want to know what he's up to. So that way, he uses your intelligence against you."_

 _She rolled her eyes, getting up from the table, taking the pictures and striding to the door._

 _"Where you going Mac? I'm coming with you," he rose from his chair unsteadily._

 _"You can't help, Harm. Frankly, you're still a liability,_ and I really need you to look after Matt. If anything were to happen to you again, or him..." she gazed at the baby for a moment, then Harm, before she turned to leave.

 _"Be careful," he called after her._

 _Music and fragrant smoke poured out of the open door as Mac approached the hookah lounge uneasily. She asked the man at the door if he'd seen a man looking like the photos she's gotten from the CIA, to which he responded in the negative. She sat down at one of the tables anxiously, after replacing the pictures in her pocket._

 _Her phone rang. Answering, she heard yet another phrase in Arabic, then the same voice asking whether she knew what the phrase meant._

 _"I told you I don't speak Arabic," she responded curtly._

 _"It means 'Islam is the solution'."_

 _"I'm sure it is for many. Where are you?"_

 _He answered vaguely, "Exactly where I need to be. The question, Sarah, is, where are you?"_

 _"You know, I'm getting bored with these games, Sadik."_

 _"Then I apologize. There were matters I had to attend to but now you have my full attention."_

 _"Oh, I've seen what your full attention is like."_

 _"You misunderstand. You have been pervasively in my thoughts. We do have much in common."_

 _" We have only one thing in common. We both intend to kill each other."_

 _"No, no, I have absolutely no desire to kill you."_

 _"Oh, then we have nothing in common."_

 _"We are both far from our country, cut off from our roots and our traditions, existing in a world not meant for us."_

 _"I was born here, Sadik. This_ _ **is**_ _my country."_

 _"It is only to be expected that you think that. But your grandmother, Fatemeh, taught you the Koran. The holy words resonate within you, even though you can't feel them, and the Persian music, I'm sure it speaks to you."_

 _"You know all this..."_

 _"I do, Sarah. I sensed it in you in Paraguay. You were with men who are weak, but their weakness is not your weakness. In you, there is strength, and a wisdom that even you don't recognize," he peered in through the beaded curtain clad window._

 _Unaware, she continued, "Ah, I supposed I should say I'm flattered."_

 _"The truth is not flattery."_

 _"I don't think you'd know the truth if it appeared to you in a tongue of flame."_

 _The phone disconnected with a click. Unbeknownst to her, Sadik had already arrived at the lounge, using a fake accent to test her, requesting an unused chair from her table. Sitting at a close table, he dialed her number again._

 _"Yes?" she answered._

 _"Are you alone, Sarah?" he taunted._

 _"I'm in a public place."_

 _"Yes, I know," he made eye contact with her as a small crowd finished passing between them, "But are you here alone?"_

 _"Yes," she answered again, continuing the charade as he showed her the business end of the pistol he was hiding beneath his overcoat, "Very impressive, Sadik."_

 _"Thank you. Remove the battery from your cellular phone," he began instructing her, "Put the phone and the battery in your purse, pay your bill and get up from the table."_

 _As they left, he urged her forward, "Keep walking. Don't look at me."_

 _"It's not an ambush," she sighed, pulling her gloves on, "I told you I came alone."_

 _"You do have courage," he mused with faux amazement._

 _"What did you expect? I'm a United States Marine."_

 _"Its exactly what I expected. I appreciate the marine mentality," they rounded the corner, passing by an energetic night club. Taking her arm roughly, he pondered the group, "Look at these people. Tell me what you see."_

 _"They look like kids who want to have a good time."_

 _"To me, they look like the walking dead."_

 _They finally made it to the apartment Sadik commandeered. He led her in and instantly began making demands, "Give me your purse. Take off your coat. Thank you."_

 _She complied, handing him her clutch and removing her scarf as she slowly walked about the small apartment. He dug through her bag, removing a small hand gun._

 _"Is this your only weapon?" he showed it to her._

 _Sarcastically raising her arms from her sides, she asked, "Do you see any place I could hide one? Don't you want to search me?_

 _"Lower your arms," Sadik commanded, "Try to behave with the dignity I'm sure your grandmother had."_

 _"You wouldn't have liked my grandmother, Sadik. She refused to wear the hijab. And she would have been very proud that an Iranian woman, a Muslim, accepted the Nobel Peace Prize last year without wearing the head scarf," she picked up a magazine from the credenza beside her, gesturing to the smiling woman on the cover._

 _He snatched the magazine from Mac's hand, "An atrocity. An insult to the devout of Islam."_

 _"What you did to Van Duyn was an atrocity," she countered, "That is the future."_

 _"Ah, yes. You wish for equality between men and women. Well, now see where that equality has gotten you, Sarah? There is no man here to protect you, because you've stepped out of your place in society."_

 _"If I'm so unprotected, why are you holding a gun on me?" Mac seemed to be doing the taunting now, "Do I have the right to use the bathroom?"_

 _He gestured toward the sleeping area, where she began to walk, almost tripping on the body of a young man._

 _"Another atrocity?" she mused._

 _"A martyr," he corrected, "It seems it was his time."_

 _She pivoted quickly, "Oh, and that's for you to decide?"_

 _"The bathroom is there. Leave the door open," he demanded._

 _Once she returned, he led Mac over to the window, pointing at the same night club they passed by earlier, "Look at the decadence of that place. Do you approve of the drinking? The drugs?"_

 _She turned to look at the disguised man, "I approve of their freedom to choose."_

 _"To me, they're worse than infidels. They have strayed from the path and lost their faith."_

 _"What are you here for, Sadik?" she asked curiously._

 _"25 years ago this month. does that mean anything to you?"_

 _"25 years... The Iranian Revolution. The fall of the Shah and the Peacock Throne."_

 _"Very good. When I was nine years old, I saw Ruhollah Khomeini in person and a vision opened up within me of a world of justice and peace, Sarah, under Islam. And a few months later, my father was murdered at the hands of the Shah's secret police. And I found myself walking the streets of Tehran alone, past the people in their rich attire in their Mercedes, and their- their nightclubs."_

 _"And you hated them," she surmised._

 _"Forty days after my father was killed, again I was in the streets, but this time, I was in the vanguard of a great army. Tehran was in flames. the war had begun."_

 _"And now the armies in Tehran are pro-Western, and want reform," she finally came away from the window and sat on the sofa, "Time and history are against you."_

 _"Your sense of history is shortsighted. Would you like to know the secret of America's downfall? Here, everything is for sale. Your government goes to the Middle East to look for weapons of mass destruction. Everyone knows the weapons are here, and, like everything else, they can be bought here."_

 _"And diamonds are better than money."_

 _"Greed is the one human weakness that can always be exploited."_

 _"Are you above greed? Is there anything that you would give up your jihad for?"_

 _"Are you making me an offer, Sarah?" Sadik inquired, hearing seduction in her words._

 _"Do I have something you want?"_

 _"You are an intelligent, beautiful woman. All men want..."_

 _She cut him off, "All men want what?"_

 _"What their mothers could never give them," he continued mysteriously._

 _"What do_ you _want?"_

 _"I want... Tea. Make it for me."_

 _"Like a good Muslim woman," she picked up the tea kettle from the stove's burner, turning it to gauge how much water was inside, "So what's next, Sadik? Convert me to Islam?"_

 _"You revealed yourself to me when we were in Paraguay, Sarah. You were pretending to be a man's wife, pretending to carry a child. But when I saw through the illusion I realized... You are pretending to be a woman. You are without a husband, without children. You live a barren life in a prison of fear."_

 _"And you've come to set me free," she scoffed,_ knowing just how misinformed he truly was.

 _"I have helped many others to understand that only in Islam can you be truly free."_

 _"Free to do what? Cover every inch of my body, never leave the house?"_

 _"If you lived a true Muslim life, then, yes, you would be free in your soul. And you'd still have all your strength, but also you would have purity. You would wear the hijab and live with dignity, not dress like a whore, and live like one. I'm offering you a choice, Sarah. If you want to live like those people in the nightclub below, then the only purification you can hope for is death."_

 _"But you'd want to humiliate me first," she said with a cynical smile, "Torture me. Once you'd convinced yourself that I'm a whore, maybe then you'd find your manhood, Sadik. You wouldn't be afraid of this body. You could use me and throw me away."_

 _She picked the steaming kettle up from the flame, and Sadik took a step back._

 _"Be careful."_

 _"You're afraid... Of a woman making tea. I'm beginning to understand that what attracts you to me is the same thing that angers you- my independence. Those kids in the nightclub are free to choose how they want to live, and you can't stand that. So what are you going to do, kill them?" she finished pouring the hot water into the tea kettle and added the tea leaves, looking up with surprise and realization, "My God, you are."_

 _"The direction your country is taking defines the direction I must take."_

 _"You plan to attack a nightclub full of innocent people?" she accused in disgust, as she rounded the corner of the kitchen counter._

 _"No one in America is innocent!" Sadik exploded in rage, "Wake up, Sarah! Isn't yours a government of and by its people? So when your government kills from a great distance, with their smart bombs and their missiles in the most cowardly manner, isn't the blood that's shed on your hands and theirs? You believe in the death penalty, yes? So do I. 9/11 was only the beginning."_

 _"You equate blowing up a nightclub with 9/11? Oh, I could see the Stinger missiles in Paraguay. Blowing a civilian airliner out of the sky with U.S.-made missiles- cowardly, but dramatic. Slaughtering a bunch of kids while you watch from a distance? You're scraping the bottom, Sadik." she goaded, "Your tea's ready."_

 _"The bomb in the nightclub isn't my mission. I wanted you to witness it so you would believe the truth that you are not safe unless you are under my protection. I can strike anywhere I desire. Here, or in your JAG parking lot, or at the heart of America," he confirmed, "Perhaps you are familiar with the term, 'permissive action link'."_

 _"Yes," she stood and faced him, "I know what that is. It's the triggering device for a nuclear weapon. Do you have one?"_

 _"Soon," he chuckled, "From your arsenal, bought and paid for with your diamonds."_

 _"Who's it for?"_

 _"Someone who will put it to good use. Do you see how you need me to protect you?"_

 _"So somebody has a nuke, but they don't have the PAL to set it off. Where are you getting it from?"_

 _"I've said enough."_

 _"I am impressed. Just bombing a nightclub seemed out of character for you. So when is this going to happen?"_

 _He checked his watch, "In less than ten minutes."_

 _"Ten minutes," she placed her hand on his arm, "Sadik, how can I make you call this off? What can I do? There... There must be something."_

 _A siren wailing in the distance caught both of their attentions._

 _"What is that?" he demanded._

 _"What's what?"_

 _Sadik ran to the window, watching an armada of police cars descend on the night club and begin to evacuate the people. Mac stood up a few feet behind him, stepping out of her heels._

 _"What have you done?" he pulled her gun from his breast pocket, "Don't lie to me."_

 _He was aghast to find her removing a button from its hole, revealing a wire taped to her skin. Before he could react, she kicked the weapon out of his grasp and kneed him in the gut, only for him to throw her down on one of the couches. She instinctively lifted her knee and landed a hard blow that launched him across the living area, picking herself up to move closer to him._

 _"I'm not weak," she punched him square in the jaw, "And I'm not barren, and I'm not a whore!"_

 _Getting one more punch in, he grabbed her, locking his arm around her neck until she elbowed him in the chest. He was up quickly, back-handing her hard enough to knock her to the adjacent armchair. She reached for the gun that had landed next to her chair, trading a few more blows before she picked it up. They simultaneously pointed weapons at each other, hers going off first. She'd winged him._

 _"That was for Harm," she stood over him as he sat up, blood dripping from his shoulder wound. She let off another shot, hitting him dead in between his eyes, "This one's for Clayton Webb."_

 _A squad of heavily armored police officers swarmed in the apartment, just after her second shot rang out. Radio communication chattered in the background as she was ordered to stand down. Handing her weapon to Deputy Director Kershaw, she informed him that it was over. Sadik Fahd was dead. Kershaw secured her weapon and picked up her coat, draping it over her shoulders. She looked down at the body that used to be Sadik Fahd and apologized to Kershaw for killing him, aware that they may never know who Sadik was getting the PAL from._

 _On her way out, she passed a full length mirror, taking a long look, she mused almost audibly, "I'm not sorry."_

She made it back to her car, then closed it and locked it before letting the first tear fall. After a few minutes, she pulled herself together, turned the key in the ignition, and headed toward Union Station.

Knocking lightly on the door, then testing the handle, Mac found it unlocked. She let herself in and found Harm pacing the floor with their almost unconscious child held closely on his shoulder. He stopped dead in his tracks, seeing Mac turn around after closing the door, dried blood on her face, some still trickling from a split lip and bruises already forming.

"Sadik is dead," was all she said before he'd crossed the room and enveloped her in his arms.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, pulling back slightly.

She shook her head and shrugged off her coat, before taking the boy from his father's arms and moving over to the couch. She tucked her feet up under herself after gently slipping off her shoes, and snuggled the now wide awake infant.

"Nothing that a little ice and a hot shower won't fix," she insisted.

He disappeared into his bedroom for a minute, coming back out with a first aid kit and a cloth. He deposited the kit on the table and walked over to the sink to wet the cloth under warm water. Dropping down next to Mac, Harm gently applied the cloth to the cut on her lip, eliciting a wince and sharp intake of breath. After cleaning the blood off her face, he applied a tiny amount of ointment, then got up to retrieve ice from the freezer.

The presence of his mother had Matt rooting furiously, demanding a feeding. She felt guilt almost instantly. She'd all but abandoned her defenseless child. He'd never taken to bottles and refused them every time she offered, he must be starving. Slipping the top two buttons out of their eyelets, she shifted her bra strap, letting it slide down her arm, and offered her breast to the frenzied little boy. The apartment was blanketed in silence as he fed greedily.

Harm returned, handing her the towel filled with ice, slightly unnerved by her sudden quiet, "Bastard really did a number on you. Wrecked your shirt and you already have visible bruises..."

He brushed her bare, shoulder which was slowly changing color before his eyes, examining the rest of her exposed skin for more injuries.

"Yeah, well, it doesn't come close to what I did to him," she said in a low voice, picking at a few bits of tape left over from the wire she'd been wearing.

Harm looked at her sympathetically, "Mac, you did what you had to do. If you hadn't-"

"I didn't have to," she looked him dead in the eyes, "I disabled him first. Shot him in the dominant arm. I was angry. He called me weak, and barren... And a whore. He almost killed Webb, and he essentially admitted to trying to kill you in the parking lot."

A flood of emotions washed over his face, as he moved closer to her, pulling her to his chest. Anger for not being there to protect her, hearing the crude words she had hurled at her. Pride that she held her own against an international terrorist. Fear that there would be repercussions if someone found out she'd gone beyond what was necessary to apprehend Sadik. Jealousy that she was avenging Webb when she shot him. Love for this amazing woman, his best friend, the mother of his child, and the owner of his heart.


	10. Take It Like A Man

1320 ZULU  
JAG HEADQUARTERS  
FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA

Mac had been acting strange, even distant, since she returned to Harm's apartment after her final run in with Sadik. She had only been back to her apartment a few times to pick up clothes or mail, but had been spending most of her time at Harm's until her maternity leave was up. Not that things were progressing between them, the distance and detachment were driving him crazy. He'd requested she go talk to someone, he didn't particularly care who, since she refused to speak about the incident to him, further than the initial details she'd revealed that night. They were arguing often, the arguments were becoming circular, and nothing ever seemed to come of them, good or bad.

Now that she was back to work, her quick temper and flippancy at times were alienating some co-workers, and frustrating others. When the admiral called both Harm and Mac into his office, she was in another of her moods, fidgety and insolent.

 _"Corporal Hal Strange, United States Marine Corps. Served in Panama during Operation Just Cause, then went out on disability retirement a year later after separating his shoulder."_

 _"Just Cause? That was the mission to capture Noriega, wasn't it?" Harm glanced momentarily at Mac, noting her still restlessly looking around, biting her lip nervously, and not paying much attention to AJ's summary of the case._

 _"The SECNAV has authorized this court-martial. Corporal Strange will be brought back on active duty and charged with an Article 134 violation, wearing an unauthorized decoration and in this case, on a uniform he was also unauthorized to wear. Seems he bought a Silver Star medal and ribbon at an Army/Navy store, dummied the citation to make himself into a hero. He's been wearing his uniform in violation of regulations and bilking schools and civic groups out of speaking fees for nearly a decade."_

 _"Shouldn't take long to sort this one out, sir," the former SEAL was surprised at the out of character outburst of his Chief of Staff._

 _"Well, I'm glad you feel that way, Colonel 'cause you'll be defending the man."_

 _"Bring it on."_

 _"He's currently free on his own recognizance and will be in later today to meet with you."_

 _"Great."_

 _"Don't take this lightly, Colonel. Corporal Strange's actions have been a major embarrassment to the Marine Corps..."_

 _"I'm clear, sir."_

 _"Colonel, would you please stop interrupting me? You're worse than Coates."_

 _"I'm sorry, sir. I'll get right on it. Will that be all?"_

 _"No, that will not be all."_

 _"Commander, you'll prosecute."_

 _"Aye, sir."_

 _"Now you're dismissed."_

 _"Aye, aye, sir."_

 _She snapped to and was out of the office like a jet off a deck's catapult, leaving a stunned Harm, and a now irritated Admiral in her wake._

 _Not long after leaving Admiral Chegwidden's office, Mac had her client in her office. She really just wanted this to get over with quick and easy, contemplating just throwing him to the wolves and taking the first plea agreement offered. She decided about a half second after he swaggered into her office that she did not like this smug, arrogant Corporal._

 _"Prosecution has copies of the citation you forged, pictures of you wearing your bogus uniform and medal, and newspaper articles quoting your claims that you performed duty above and beyond the call when we both know that's not true," she recited, looking over the list of evidence, then placing it back in its file folder and dropping it brusquely on a file cabinet._

 _"Whose side did you say you were on... Ma'am?" he looked at her certain she was going to throw him under the bus._

 _"Yours, Corporal. That's why I'm advising you to change your plea to guilty."_

 _"There's only one problem with that, Colonel. I deserved that medal."_

 _"Marine Corps has no record of it."_

 _"That doesn't mean it didn't happen, ma'am. Now, I know you've never served in combat, and I doubt you've ever had to kill anyone."_

 _This was not going to go over well. She refused to make eye contact for a few moments, irritated at his sanctimonious assumptions._

 _"My history is irrelevant. This meeting is about you."_

 _"Maybe you have, Colonel. Had to kill. Maybe more than once," his step forward and continued assumptions were provoking some rather irrationally violent thoughts, thoughts that made her feel very uncomfortable being in the same room as... Well, any human being._

 _Pushing the thoughts out of her mind, she strode past him and opened the office door, indicating the end of their meeting, "I've given you my legal advice. Call me when you've made your decision."_

 _"Did you get a medal for it, Colonel? The killing? Don't you think you deserved one?"_

 _Avoiding his eyes, she continued standing still and silent as a statue. After a few uncomfortable moments, the corporal finally backed down and left, the door slamming behind him. She snapped her blinds shut, needing a time to calm down, before facing the world again. Her turbulent moods and impulses were beginning to worry her, too. The last week or so had her on a steep spiral of recklessness and irrationality, which was completely out of character for her._

That night, she'd gone back to her apartment for the first time in close to a week. It seemed almost strange. Sterile. There was scant evidence that someone, let alone two people, lived there. No pictures, no law books or folders of trial documents, none of the few things she'd allowed herself buy that might visually indicate the presence of an infant. Most of his things stayed at Harm's loft, since they spent the majority of their time there after the birth. It was a further commute to work for her, but it was easier for them all to be together, and Mattie needed Harm to be near, so that decided it. Sadik Fahd breaking into her apartment had been just another nail in the coffin, how could she feel safe living, and allowing her child to live, in a place that had been broken into and ransacked so many times?

If it hadn't been for her ludicrous behavior lately, she might have felt more sure about just letting it go. As things were now, she wasn't all that sure Harm would want to live with her and her bizarre outbursts and volatile moods for much longer. She even recognized how ridiculously she was acting, but couldn't seem to help herself. At first, Harm was amused by her lack of inhibition, then it began to frustrate him, now... Now they fought like cats and dogs about everything and nothing. Whatever 'this' was, she needed to get over it and fast, or she could lose everything.

Sorting through the pile of mail that she let accumulate in her mailbox, she dropped the junk mail and unimportant correspondences onto the table next to her bed with probably too much force, still irritated at herself, upsetting a glass of water she'd put there far too long ago. She watched in seemingly slow motion tip over and break as it tumbled from the table and ricocheted off the metal frame of her bed. Cursing under her breath, she picked up the largest piece and in the process cut her hand on another shard next to it.

"Great," she thought, as she stood up, heading to the bathroom for a bandage, "Just add to my misery, why don't you?"

1430 ZULU  
JAG HEADQUARTERS  
FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA

 _Admiral Chegwidden called Mac into his office first thing, after the morning staff meeting, to talk about the progress she was making on the Strange case. When she reported that the corporal refused to admit to his guilt in the matter or accept a deal, he sighed. She hadn't been making his life easy lately, and this case going to trial would just be another pain adding to the headache he already felt coming on._

 _He stood from the fireplace he'd just finished stoking, and faced his Chief of Staff, "What happened to a pretrial agreement?"_

 _Mac stood close to the door, intending on briefing the admiral quickly, then getting back to the mountain of work on her desk, "Corporal Strange isn't interested, sir. He wants a trial to air his grievances against the Marine Corps. He-he says he's never lied about his exploits in Panama. Claims his unit wouldn't vouch for him."_

 _Taking a seat in one of his visitors' chairs, he continued, "So now you think he's telling the truth?"_

 _"PFC Wallis did suffer a compound leg fracture outside the Arraijan Tank Farm in 1989. A Lance Corporal Petrosian was treated for a through-and-through shoulder wound the same night," she gestured to her own body, indicating the area of the lance corporal's injury with her bandaged hand._

 _He followed her movements, noticing her injury only after she brought her hand up to her shoulder, "What happened to your hand?"_

 _Embarrassed about the silly reason for her wound, she hid it behind her back, "Uh, it's nothing, sir."_

 _"Why the sudden about-face with Corporal Strange?"_

 _"He feels his actions were meritorious and he's being treated unfairly," she insisted, "I think he may be right."_

 _"Not like you to believe an unsubstantiated story like this."_

 _She was becoming frustrated with the seemingly endless questions from the admiral, both about her client and her personal business. Without thinking, she spit out, "Maybe you don't know me as well as you think you do."_

 _"Maybe you came back to work too soon, Colonel," he fired back. Seeing her begin to shut him down, he started again in a different tone, "Mac... Been through hell of a lot."_

 _Despite his change in tone, she was still wound up, "By 'a lot', you mean I had to kill the bad guy Like Marines are supposed to do. It's nothing I haven't had to do before, sir."_

 _"Marines need some down time just like-"_

 _"Admiral, I take great solace in the fact that I helped Sadik Fahd attain the martyrdom he so deeply desired. And I'm sure I'll be getting a fruit basket any day now from the White House for getting rid of an international terrorist of his caliber," she cut him off with intense sarcasm, displaying unintentionally to her commanding officer just how much killing the terrorist had gotten to her._

 _"You're dismissed."_

 _"Aye, aye, sir."_

 _Later that morning, the trial began, with Harm calling the teacher who hired CPL Strange to speak to the stand, "Mr. Whorley, how did you meet Corporal Strange?"_

 _"I saw his advertisement in the school district newsletter. He said he'd been a combat veteran of the Panama Crisis who'd been awarded the Silver Star."_

 _Whorley was a small, scrawny man. Balding and nasal, just his listening to the man talk was like nails on a chalkboard, she couldn't help thinking to herself._

 _"What was his lecture fee, based on the qualifications he claimed to have?" Harm continued his line of questioning._

 _"Two hundred dollars. I thought it would be worth it for the kids to hear a man who'd proved his patriotism. Little did I know, the guy was just a traitor to the Marine Corps and to his country," Whorley shot a flaming look at CPL Strange._

 _"Objection, opinion and inflammatory," Mac rattled off without even needing to think about it._

 _"Sustained."_

 _Harm stepped back from the stand, "No further questions, Your Honor."_

 _Mac stood to address the mousy looking man, "Mr. Whorley, what happened to your hand?"_

 _"I was playing Polonius. I'm the drama teacher, and I fell it's just a hairline fracture."_

 _"Now is it true that you attempted to join the Marine Corps in 1984?"_

 _"Yes. Um, I couldn't pass the physical."_

 _"And you've had a love/hate relationship with those who did pass the physical ever since isn't that also true?"_

 _"Is Defense Counsel reading minds now, Your Honor?" Harm objected, standing up._

 _Judge Blakely warned Mac, "Stay out of the witness's head, Colonel."_

 _"Yes, Your Honor," she turned back to Whorley, "You have flat feet and a spastic colon, don't you, Mr. Whorley?"_

 _Harm was incredulous, "What?! Irrelevant, Your Honor."_

 _"I agree. Sustained."_

 _"So, how is it that you got a close enough look at Corporal Strange's medal to realize that it wasn't really his?"_

 _"Um when he was preparing his notes, I took it out of the box. Just wanted to, uh... See what it looked like on me."_

 _"You wanted to play Marine war hero, is that it? You're just a jarhead groupie, and I think you enjoyed bringing a real Marine to his knees!"_

 _"Your Honor, Defense Counsel is attacking my witness," Harm once again objected._

 _"Sustained! Colonel Mackenzie, I will hold you in contempt! The witness may step down. This court is in recess."_

 _After a brief reaming from Colonel Blakely, Mac was able to leave his chambers feeling thoroughly chastised. She made her way to her office, picking up her outer garments and shutting everything down for the night. She was done for the night and ready to go home, climb into bed, cuddle with her son, and forget the entire day ever happened. Just as she was leaving her office, Harm strolled up, looking like he was making his exit as well._

 _"Can I walk you out, Tiger?" he tried to make a joke, but only ended up making her feel more angry at herself._

 _"I don't know what happened in there. I started questioning him, and I just lost it."_

 _"Well, your client doesn't seem to mind."_

 _"My client has a chip on his shoulder."_

 _"Colonel," Damn, "My office."_

 _She prepared herself for the dressing down of a lifetime. She knew he'd just about had it with her behavior, she just couldn't seem to keep it in check, "Yes, sir."_

 _Bud appeared suddenly, emerging from his office looking lost and extremely nervous._

 _Perplexed by his odd activities, Harm decided to just ask him, "Everything okay, Bud?"_

 _"Everything's great, sir. Have a good night."_

 _'Too easy,' he thought. But he had plans to supervise dinner with Mattie that night, and didn't have the time nor the interest to continue dealing with the bizarre deeds of all of his colleagues, so he just gave up right out of the gate, "Good night."_

 _The tone was significantly more serious in AJ Chegwidden's office. He hated having to yell at his staff, least of all his senior staff who should definitely know better, "What the hell happened to you in the courtroom today?"_

 _" I'm sorry, sir."_

 _She seemed to genuinely mean it, but unfortunately, that wasn't enough, "Sorry doesn't cut it."_

 _"I'll write a letter of apology to Judge Blakely and Mr. Whorley," she offered._

 _"Oh, you'll do better than that. Bethesda has an excellent psychology department. You will make yourself available."_

 _She was suddenly on the defensive, "You think I need a shrink?"_

 _"Tone, Colonel," he warned._

 _"Sorry, sir, but I feel fine."_

 _"You're trying to pretend that you didn't just go through hell, and you're doing a damn awful job of it!"_

 _"You think I'm in denial?"_

 _"I'm not a expert in the field, Colonel. That's why I'm sending you to Bethesda."_

 _Her anger at the situation had her seeing red and beginning to speak belligerently, "That's hardly fair, sir, given your recent behavior: denying your own broken heart."_

 _A mask of fury descended on the old man's face, "Lock it up, Marine. If I didn't have as much respect for you as I do, that insubordination would go on your permanent record. Now, you will get your butt to that shrink before you exhaust what's left of my charitable nature. Dismissed."_

 _"Aye, aye, sir."_

 _She stormed out of the office, still fuming, slamming her car door and screeching out of the parking lot. She figured she would stop home to change and then go pay Webb a visit, fill him in on the details of Sadik's demise, before picking her son up from the sitter. With Harm as opposing council and the visit with Mattie's father that night, it was silently agreed that they would stay at their own homes until the conclusion._

 _The night Harm was having wasn't playing out well, either. Mattie felt awkward about "kicking Mac and the baby out for something stupid," as she put it, though Harm reassured her that that wasn't the case. After no more than five words being said between Mattie and her father the entire evening, Harm tried to start up a conversation._

 _"Uh M-M-Mattie, why don't you tell your dad about your new school?"_

 _" I'm going to school," she said flatly._

 _Happy that the stiflingly heavy silence was finally being broken, Tom answered eagerly, "Oh, how-how is it?"_

 _" It's fine," was all she said._

 _Harm tried again, "Mattie made the volleyball team."_

 _"Oh, that's great," Tom praised, pulling a cigarette out of his breast pocket and putting it to his lips._

 _Mattie was out of her chair in an instant, swooping in to chastise her father, "What are you doing?! Harm has a nice place here. Doesn't want you smoking it up."_

 _"Mattie, it's okay," Harm tried to comfort the girl._

 _Embarrassed, Tom plucked the cigarette from his mouth, "Oh, I'm-I'm sorry."_

 _Trying to keep the peace, Harm insisted, "No, no, I-it's fine, Tom."_

 _Mattie sat down, sneering, "You're always sorry, aren't you? I'm so embarrassed."_

 _Pausing for a second, Tom then stood up, "I should go."_

 _"No, uh, Tom, please," Harm stood up as well, trying to put out the fire between father and daughter._

 _Mattie continued in a mocking tone, "Yeah. Thanks for the pizza."_

 _"No, I don't, uh I don't want to make things worse."_

 _"Well, look, Tom, at least l-let me drive you back to the center, all right?" Harm proposed._

 _He waved Harm off, "No, it's okay. I'll-I'll take the train."_

 _"Come on, Tom, look, I'd-I'd appreciate it if you'd let me give you a ride," Harm continued to insist._

 _"Thank you. I'll just, um... Wait outside for you," he held up the cigarette to indicate his desire to smoke before they departed._

 _Well, that wasn't very nice," Harm pivoted to look at the sulking teenager._

 _"I told you he couldn't behave himself."_

 _"I was talking about you, Mattie. You always overreact like that with your dad?"_

 _"You're obviously taking his side because you think that if I kiss and make up with him, I can just go back there and live with him._ Then you can go live full time with Mac and have your perfect family," she protested.

 _"That's not true, and you know it. Mattie, there are no sides to this._ You are as much my family as they are, just like your dad is yours. _You're his daughter, and whether you realize it or not, one day, you're going to regret pushing him out of your life."_

 _"You know something, Harm? Sometimes I think I was happier before I met you," she ran out of his apartment petulantly._

CLAYTON WEBB'S CONDO  
ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA

 _Clay was just sitting down to relax with a glass of wine and a classic novel when a loud knock sounded at his door. He opened the door to find the woman he hadn't seen since shortly after their mission in Paraguay ended, months ago. Sarah MacKenzie leaned against the door frame in an almost seductive manner, wearing jeans and a button up shirt with only about half of the buttons fastened._

 _"Aren't you going to let me in?" when he let her pass, she meandered around the room, marveling at the little details, drinking in the information Clayton's home imparted, " You like shadows, don't you, Clay? You work in them, you live in them..."_

 _" Well, I prefer to call it ambiance-" he was cut off by her sudden turn, then her lips were on his. He brought his hand up to the back of her neck, holding her to him, the other still occupied with his glass._

 _She tasted his lips, musing aloud, " Mm, I haven't tasted wine in a long time."_

 _Continuing to kiss him, despite the small amount of protest he put up, she began unbuttoning the agent's shirt, kissing his neck._

 _"Sarah," he tried to get her attention, slowly losing the will to stop her._

 _" Mm-hmm?" she responded, keeping her lips in contact with his exposed clavicle._

 _He leaned to the side, putting his wine glass down before grabbing her arms to push her back, "Sarah! This isn't you."_

 _"Oh, yeah? Who am I?" she was suddenly furious, mocking him as she shoved his steadying hands off of her._

 _"Uh, normally, you're... Reasonable, composed... In control of yourself," he illustrated, emphasizing the impulsiveness of her actions._

 _She walked over to his fireplace, then suddenly changed directions, coming back to stand in front of Clay, "You ever think that, as a Marine, I've trained to handle difficult things?"_

 _"Some of the best people I know, Marines and otherwise, have been strong enough to ask for help," he took a short sip out of his glass and placed it back on the table._

 _She paced like a caged animal, "What, are you and Chegwidden comparing notes now? You both think I need a shrink?"_

 _"Maybe we both see the same thing... And we both care about you."_

 _"Did you talk to someone after Paraguay?"_

 _" A debriefing with an Agency psychologist is SOP."_

 _"Oh, and is that why you travel with a bottle? Cana, a reminder of the worst thing that ever happened to you. Did you, uh, tell your counselor about your desire to do penance?" she resumed her attempt to strip Clayton of his shirt._

 _He grabbed her hands, stopping her again, "A lot happened on that mission. I felt guilty for putting you in danger. I was mad at myself for letting Sadik get his hands on me and for letting him get away. I failed to complete my assignment."_

 _"Oh, that's right. I had to do it for you just last week... And you can't stand that," she fought him for a minute, trying to kiss him again._

 _"Sarah, go home and get some rest," he insisted._

 _"You can't just dismiss me, Clay. I'm not one of your field assets hanging on your every order," she recommenced her exploration of his condo, " Things, places... You don't have a single picture of a human being in here. I guess people, with all of their inconvenient emotions are just too challenging for you. Things get a little sticky, and you're showing me the door?"_

 _Her antagonizing was getting him angry, "Says the woman who hasn't had one consistent relationship in her entire life oh, I forgot. You have Harm._ Why are you throwing yourself at me, when you have him waiting for you at home? Didn't you just give birth to his child?"

 _"You don't know anything about them," suddenly defensive, her claws were beginning to retract._

 _"I know that his being unavailable has given you something to hide behind," she squared her jaw, ready to punch him in his when he began back-pedaling, "I didn't mean that."_

 _He began having second thoughts, so he strode over to her, and attempted to touch her, "Yes, you did. Don't touch me."_

 _"Oh, come on. I thought I thought that's why you came 'cause you wanted me to touch you. See, I've been stupid enough to think that you liked the feeling of my hands on you, Sarah," he goaded her._

 _She took his hands and shoved him back hard, making her way to the door, "Think what you want just get out of my way._

 _"Well, come on, it's taken us eight months to get this far. You're going to You're ready to throw it away in one night?" he stepped in front of her, blocking her way to the door._

 _"This far? Just where are we, Webb, and what am I throwing away?!" she looked at him skeptically._

 _" Our shot at happiness, Sarah?" was all he replied._

 _"You don't have what it takes to make me happy," she responded with a deadly tone, then walking around him, opened the door and slammed it shut behind her._

Mac drove to the sitter, thanking her and handing her payment, then rushing out. Once home, she started a shower, undressing herself and the baby and stepping in to wash the day off of both of them. She kept having flashes of Clayton Webb's exposed skin, her lips pressed to him, tongue gliding across hard planes, teeth scraping the softer areas of his shoulder... Finishing washing, she stepped out feeling more disgusted than when she entered. She felt guilty for trying to sleep with the spy instead of just delivering news to him and leaving as planned. What was she thinking? She wasted precious time that she could have spent with her child on folly, on a man she didn't even come close to loving. When Harm would probably drop whatever he was doing with a moment's notice to have her again.

The baby's happy cooing brought her out of her miserable reverie. She looked into his eyes for a few lingering seconds before shifting her gaze, he had his father's eyes, and she couldn't bear to look at them out of shame. What had she done?

1245 ZULU  
NAVAL HOSPITAL  
BETHESDA, MARYLAND

 _"Why are you here, Colonel?" Lieutenant Commander Vera McCool asked Mac._

 _" My CO suggested it."_

 _"Suggested it or insisted on it?"_

 _Mac sat on a tan sofa, facing the petite, chocolate skinned psychologist, "The latter. My significant other made a similar request."_

 _"Why do you think they did that?_

 _"I've been anxious. It just think the world around me isn't moving fast enough to keep up with me," she fiddled with her hands, not making eye contact._

 _McCool consulted a file, reading a few lines before closing it again, "You were involved in a hostage situation recently."_

 _"Is that what my file says?" Mac bit her lip, finally looking up._

 _"I'll be honest, Colonel, since this case is still under investigation by the CIA, most of what I'd need to know to help you is classified."_

 _"Well, let me enlighten you, Commander. A very bad man tried to lure me into a trap." she flashed back to Sadik in the hookah bar, holding a gun on her, "But I'd learned my lesson. I knew him before, so I wore a wire. I tipped the Feds off to a terrorist bombing, and I walked away in one piece. I killed a man who under interrogation could have given us half the players on the Fed's terrorist watch list."_

 _"You said you knew this man?"_

 _"He tried to kill me before."_

 _"You know, when people consume your time and mental energy, for better or worse, they become part of our psyche. Killing this man may have left a hole in your subconscious. He invoked fear in you. Now that the fear is gone, the exhilaration of keeping one step ahead of him is gone."_

 _"You think I miss the bastard?" she almost laughed at the ridiculousness of the notion._

 _"It's possible that you miss the rush of rehearsing the confrontation that you thought was inevitable. That's why your reaction to his death wasn't satisfaction, but continued aggressive behavior. Unless there's more to the story, something else from your past you'd like to talk about."_

 _Mac just stared mutely at the doctor. She was now entirely convinced that this out of the way excursion was an utter waste of her time._

 _That afternoon found her in court, questioning Corporal Strange. He felt testifying would help his case, as well as enable him to publicly call out his unit members._

 _"Corporal Strange, can you explain the term "medal inflation" to the court?" Mac stood from behind the defense table and approached the witness stand._

 _" Yes, ma'am. It's when a high percentage of the participants in a combat situation are awarded medals."_

 _"Such as was the case following the Panama Crisis."_

 _"That's correct, ma'am."_

 _Harm didn't want to go down a long road of questions to figure out what Mac was getting at, so he objected, "I fail to see what relevance this has to the charges, Your Honor."_

 _Sighing, Blakely denied his request, "I'll allow it, but take me from "A" to "Z" in a timely manner, Colonel."_

 _"Yes, Your Honor," she continued, turning back to Strange, "And you never received a personal award for your service in Panama, but you know men who did, is that right?"_

 _"Yes, ma'am. I know a corporal who received the Navy Commendation Medal for being a chauffeur, and a gunny who got the Bronze Star for nearly shooting his own foot off in a firefight. Not to mention the Purple Heart awarded to Lance Corporal Petrosian, the man that I personally pulled out of enemy fire."_

 _"All these medals awarded, and yet you were overlooked despite the evidence you provided to support your story?_

 _"I managed to get hold of medical records, ma'am, for Wallis and Petrosian. After the conflict, I even went back to Panama, took pictures of where it happened. I mapped the whole thing out. Still, nobody believed me."_

 _"Your student lectures were the truth, weren't they, Corporal Strange?"_

 _"Yes, ma'am."_

 _"And wouldn't you say the truth is worth a $200 speaking fee?"_

 _Harm objected, "Corporal Strange's alleged actions in combat are not the issue, Your Honor."_

 _"Objection sustained, Blakely looked at his watch, "We'll continue after lunch. Court is in recess until 1500."_

 _"Medal inflation?" Harm stood outside of Sturgis Turner's office at the central filing area reading the contents of a folder as Mac walked up to put a folder of her own into the "to file" section of the organizer on top._

 _"Just giving my client the defense he deserves."_

 _"Come on, Mac, you're arguing everything but the case in there. I mean, you client has shown bad judgment and no sense of responsibility. Doesn't it bother you as a fellow Marine that even when this guy is cornered he still won't own up to making a mistake?"_

 _" Come on, Harm, when was the last time you admitted to being wrong about anything?"_

 _"Oh, you want to get personal?"_

 _"Yeah, maybe I do."_

 _"All right. I'm the one with grown up responsibilities now. Mattie, the house I'm trying to buy. At least I'm finally letting people into my life."_

Suddenly uncomfortable with the setting of the conversation and angry that he would insinuate that she had no 'adult' responsibilities, she grabbed his lapel, and dragged him into her office, shutting the door behind them.

 _"_ Are you kidding me? You resign your commission with no second thought, fly down to Paraguay to play superhero, get canned by both the navy and the CIA, all while I stay here waiting and worrying, pregnant with **your** child. Did you forget about him?" she picked up a small frame from her desk containing a picture of their son, thrusting it into his hand, _"What happens when you get bored with suburbia, Harm?_ What happens when you get bored with being a father? _Are you going to just lose interest in Mattie_ or Matt _like you did your brother? He preferred life in Russia to being here and being ignored by you. You fight to draw people into your circle just so you can push them away again."_

He placed the frame back onto her desk, opening the door before saying in a low voice, " _You know, this isn't about me losing interest in_ the kids _. You think I'm losing interest in you."_

 _Back in court, it was Harm's turn to cross-examine the witness, "Corporal Strange, how many times did you petition the Marine Corps to receive the Silver Star?"_

 _"Four times, sir."_

 _"And how many times were you denied that award, Corporal? You know the answer to that already, Commander... Four times."_

 _"Oh, please, tell the court why your attempts to receive the retroactive award were denied on so many occasions?"_

 _"Because my buddies wouldn't back me up about what happened, sir."_

 _"Well, Corporal, isn't it, in fact, because the Marine Corps has no record of your alleged heroism?"_

 _"It's because the guys I saved that night decided I didn't deserve it, Commander, that's why."_

 _"Why would a group of a Marines get together and stonewall a fellow Marine?"_

 _"Because they didn't like me. See, I was a loner. They didn't consider me to be part of their little club."_

 _"Well, Corporal, that's the problem with being a loner," Harm turned around and looked at Mac, seemingly talking to her, "You're always on the outside looking in. You make it impossible to be your friend, and then you wonder why you feel so alone. I have no further questions."_

1230 ZULU  
NAVAL HOSPITAL  
BETHESDA, MARYLAND

 _"I thought about what you said. That, uh, my aggression was just to fill a void left by the absence of the man I killed," Mac was wandering around the Lieutenant Commander's office, looking at the books and knickknacks on the shelves._

 _"Do you think I was right?"_

 _"In a way. My childhood was, uh, unpredictable. I was always afraid my father would mistake me for my mother and put his fist through my face. You develop instincts when you live like that._

 _"You felt the thrill when faced with a man who wanted you dead."_

 _"There's nothing thrilling about it. I went back to thinking I was the only person who could look out for me. Every disagreement became a chance to attack."_

 _"Including your arguments in court."_

 _"Yes, but I'm fine now," Mac reached down to the couch and picked up her overcoat and cover, preparing to leave._

 _I think there's still more to talk about, don't you? You killed your husband in self-defense, Colonel."_

 _She looked disgusted, "That was a long time ago."_

 _"It was a similar situation."_

 _"No. I cared about my husband, despite his faults. That event was a tragedy. What happened last week was just taking out the garbage. I've satisfied my CO's request that I speak to a counselor. No long term treatment was ever part of the deal, so I think I'm done."_

 _"Very well."_

 _"You know you can always come back anytime you like."_

 _She didn't even look back as she let the door swing shut behind her._

 _"I thought I thought we were winning, ma'am," Strange was confused, he thought she'd been arguing his case pretty well._

 _Anxiously pacing, she leaned forward over her desk to talk to him, "You're not winning, legally or karmically."_

 _"Oh, like I give a damn."_

 _"You should. You were a competent Marine. You could have done great things, but your attitude alienated everyone around you. Now I believe that you saved those men, but I can't prove it. I can't get you acquitted on the charges you face, because you're guilty. But if you could provide one eyewitness to what happened, you might earn yourself some leniency among the members."_

 _He shook his head, doubtful, "Petrosian and the others won't-"_

 _"Have you ever asked? Nicely?" Mac handed the corporal a printout with an address and a map, "Buddy Petrosian runs his family's butcher shop in College Park. Here's the address. The rest is up to you. If Petrosian is willing, call me. I can file for a continuance if we need one."_

 _Mac walked CPL Strange to the elevator, "Yes, ma'am."_

 _"Mr. Petrosian, what is the nature of your relationship with Hal Strange?" Mac stood in front of the middle aged butcher, hands behind her back._

 _"Up until this morning, I'd have said we didn't have one."_

 _"But you did serve in Panama with him, didn't you? We were in the same unit."_

 _"He wasn't a... A nice man, was he?"_

 _"Truth be told, he was a jackass. The man would argue constantly about everything from baseball to politics. He made it clear that the rest of us weren't made of the same stuff that he was."_

 _"Didn't stop him from pulling you out of the line of fire when you were shot by enemy combatants, though, did it?"_

 _"No, ma'am. His clear dislike of me didn't seem to affect his decision to put his own life in danger to save mine. I didn't think we'd get out of there. They had us outnumbered."_

 _"But you did make it, didn't you?"_

 _"Me and Wallis, the others... Hal saved our skins that night."_

 _"Thank you for your honesty. I have nothing further," Mac nodded to the judge before returning to her seat._

 _Changing places with Mac, Harm stood, adjusting a button on his jacket while beginning his questioning, "Mr. Petrosian, were you ever contacted by Headquarters Marine Corps seeking confirmation of Corporal Strange's claims?"_

 _" Yes," Petrosian affirmed._

 _"But you didn't make that confirmation. Did you? So were you lying then, or you're lying now?" Harm approached the witness, continuing._

 _"Your Honor," Mac protested._

 _"Valid question, Colonel."_

 _"I was lying then, sir. We all were. After they patched me up, I went to thank Corporal Strange. He looked at me like I was dirt under his boots, said I wasn't a real Marine. Said the only reason we found ourselves in that mess was because Wallis was a klutz, and the rest of us were amateurs. Well, I told the other guys. And we decided then never to admit to what had happened that night. I guess Hal is not the only guy who can hold a grudge long past its usefulness. All I ever wanted was an apology for what he said."_

 _"Yeah," Harm glanced back at the Marine Colonel who had been the main occupant of his thoughts for such a long time, " That can go a long way. I have no further questions, Your Honor."_

 _Harm's words elicited a small rueful smile from Mac._

 _"You can step down, Mr. Petrosian," Colonel Blakely instructed._

 _Buddy Petrosian paused at the side of the defense table and looked at Hal Strange, "Thank you for what you did."_

 _"Your Honor, I'd like to recall Corporal Strange to the stand."_

 _"So noted, Colonel. I remind the accused that he is still under oath. What impact do you think Mr. Petrosian's testimony should have on the outcome of your case?"_

 _"In terms of the charges I'm facing, ma'am, none," he answered honestly._

 _"You never meant to sully the image of the Marine Corps, did you, Corporal Strange?"_

 _"No, ma'am."_

 _"You just wanted someone to recognize what you'd been through," she turned to look at Harm, just as he had earlier, letting him know that she wasn't just speaking for the corporal, garnering a small smile in return, " And in your anger, you went about it the wrong way. Isn't that so?"_

 _It is, ma'am. I don't expect to walk out of this a free man. I just hope that in sentencing, my combat actions are considered. And I'll sleep better now. Now that I know they remember."_

 _"The Defense rests, Your Honor."_

THAT NIGHT...  
HARM'S APARTMENT  
NORTH OF UNION STATION

Mac sat on Harm's couch, leaning forward with her forearms resting on her thighs, silently contemplating what she was going to say. In the adjacent chair, Harm sat, rocking their peacefully sleeping son

"I know I've been acting like someone I'm not, and I'm sorry for that," she began.

"Well, you weren't alone. You just have to give yourself some time to get over this, Mac. Sadik was a very sadistic and disturbed man. It's not a sign of weakness if you need a while to get over it."

She stopped talking, looking down at her hands, "You were right. That night when you said he was seducing me. Sadik wanted me. I could tell. And I let him look at me, a woman. I didn't cover up. I just took off my coat. And I dared him to look, just to see if he was as pure of thought as he claimed to be. I wanted to prove to myself that he was just like every other man."

"I don't know how to take that."

"Don't you get it? He resisted. He resisted me in a way that I wish I could have resisted temptation my entire life. He made me feel weak."

"It's okay, Mac."

"It's not okay. He did what he intended. He reduced me to someone who acts on impulse, without intellect. He was down when I shot him."

"And armed," he reminded her.

"The Agency doctored the report. He was winged in the shoulder and he couldn't fire at me."

"C'mon Mac, you can never know that for sure."

"Oh, I know what I did. I didn't shoot him because I thought he was going to shoot at me. I killed him for what he was. And because I was angry for what he... Because he hurt someone I love."

"Mac..."

"There's something else. I knew it was wrong and I'm not proud of it, but I just..."

She trailed off and looked up to see an extremely worried look in Harm's eyes.

"I need you to know, because I want us to be able to work through our issues and be able to communicate effectively."

"Mac, just... Can you just say it?" he all but begged.

"The night we caught the Strange case, I went to Webb's condo intending to fill him in on the details of what happened with Sadik. I don't know what I was thinking, but I made a mistake-"

"I don't know if I want to hear you finish whatever it is you're attempting to fess up to," his eyes relaying more than his words let on.

"I didn't sleep with him."

"Does it matter? Mac, we're not in an actual relationship, you made it abundantly clear that you thought it would never work out. We co-parent. We're finally friends again. The last kiss we shared was almost a year ago. We might be sleeping in the same bed most nights, but we're not romantically involved, we've been intimate exactly once, then spent the better part of this year coming to terms with the consequences of that. If you want to pursue Webb, do it. To echo what I said almost a year ago: 'It's your life'."

With that, he stood up, laid the sleeping baby in his swing, and retreated to his bedroom.


	11. Hard Time

1518 ZULU  
JAG HEADQUARTERS  
FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA

 _Sarah MacKenzie came to stand in front of Judge Blakely, finishing her closing argument, "And finally, by using narcotics prior to deployment, PFC Boyer not only dishonored the uniform of the United States Marine Corps, but she placed her fellow unit members in jeopardy. Therefore the government recommends that she receives a punitive discharge and be sentenced to confinement and hard labor for one year."_

 _"Will the accused and counsel please rise? Private First Class Michelle Boyer, United States Marine Corps, this court is impressed with the matters in aggravation articulated by trial counsel's arguments and agrees with the government's recommendation. Accordingly, you are reduced to pay grade E-1, sentenced to a Bad Conduct Discharge, and 12 months confinement at hard labor. This court is adjourned," Blakely banged his gavel as he dismissed the court._

 _PFC Boyer sighed and turned to look at the prosecution, "Thanks for ruining my life, ma'am."_

 _Mac looked up to see the young woman coming closer, "You managed to do that quite well on your own, Private."_

 _"I'm not a drug user," Boyer insisted._

 _Bud attempted to intervene, "Enough, Private."_

 _"You just made them think I am. Like I'm the only person that ever got sick on liberty. And that stuff that I have an addictive personality because I smoke two packs a day? That's a lawyer's trick," Mac looked up from the files she was sliding into her briefcase, listening skeptically to the other woman._

 _"Your blood tested positive for heroin. If there were a sentence for denial, you'd get life."_

 _"You ever regret putting someone away, ma'am?"_

 _"No."_

 _Somehow, Mac missed the quick wind up, as PVT Boyer's fist connected with her jaw. Bailiffs and MPs swarmed Boyer, restraining her as Bud did his best to squat down to check on his now unconscious opposing council._

 _"Well, there's always a first time," Boyer shouted over the commotion._

 _Bud placed his hand on Mac's arm, shaking her, "Colonel? Colonel, are you all right? Ma'am? Ma'am?"_

A few minutes later, Mac came to, surrounded by the duty corpsman, Bud and Judge Blakely. Putting her hand to her sore jaw, she tried to pull herself up into a sitting position.

"Try not to move for a minute ma'am, just until you get your bearings, then we'll sit you up," the young petty officer instructed.

"Private Boyer has been taken back into custody, and is on her way back to Quantico," Blakely reported.

"Ma'am, I hope you don't mind, but I called Commander Rabb-" Bud was cut off by the doors of the courtroom swinging open, the subject of Bud's statement running through them.

"Mac," he dropped to his knees next to her, slightly out of breath, "Are you okay?"

"I think so," she reported, again attempting to sit up.

This time with the help of Harm and Colonel Blakely, she achieved her goal, shaking her head to clear the stars out of her vision. The corpsman did a quick physical exam to make sure she hadn't been injured a second time when she hit the floor, and released her afterward, satisfied that it was just the blow to her head from Boyer that knocked her out.

1534 ZULU  
ONE MONTH LATER

 _"In conclusion, by assaulting a field grade officer, the accused committed one of the most serious breaches of good order and discipline in the UCMJ. Therefore, the government recommends that Private Michelle Boyer be sentenced to a Dishonorable Discharge and three years confinement to be served consecutively to the first Court Martial sentence," Commander Sturgis Turner picked up the prosecution's case the same day as the incident, intent on hitting the Private hard for assaulting his friend._

 _"Accused and counsel rise. Private Boyer, your assault on Colonel Mackenzie is the single worst display of courtroom behavior I've experienced in six years on the bench," Boyer rolled her eyes as Colonel Blakely began his sentencing, "You are to be discharged dishonorably, and I'm extending the term of your confinement to four years hard labor. That'll give you five to try to turn your life around. My only regret is I can't apply the sentence to the recruiter who thought you'd make a good Marine. We are adjourned. Bailiff?" PVT Boyer jerked toward Mac, as she was passing by, attracting the immediate attention of the judge, "Staff Sergeant, secure the prisoner."_

 _She scuffled with the bailiff, as they dragged her out, "Just wanted to say good-bye, Colonel."_

 _"Sorry, ma'am," Bud hurried out after his client._

 _Sturgis approached Mac, witnessing the Private's farewell, "She is a tough nut."_

 _"Well, five years in prison will crack anyone."_

 _"If they can get her there."_

 _"What do you mean?" Mac asked with a worried edge to her voice._

 _"Well, Charleston is overcrowded. They're shipping her across country to the Navy Consolidated Brig at Miramar. That bailiff is the one assigned to get here there," Sturgis walked out, leaving Mac standing rooted to the same spot in disbelief._

 _Troubled with the lack of control the Staff Sergeant seemed to have over the Private, Mac decided to pay convening authority a visit. Hoping she could convince him the SSGT wasn't capable of controlling the PVT, she anticipated an easy argument for a change of guard._

1533 ZULU  
MCCDC  
QUANTICO, VIRGINIA

 _She stood before the superior officer confidently, "Colonel, I'm requesting you assign a new brig chaser to escort Private Boyer to Miramar."_

 _"Why?" the Colonel didn't seem to be paying her much attention, going about his work as usual._

 _"Because the current one can't control her."_

 _"Were you expecting her to anticipate a sucker-punch?" Okarman flicked his glance momentarily up at her, "You didn't."_

 _"She confronted me at both hearings, sir."_

 _"I'm not worried."_

 _"The Judge had to remind her of her responsibilities."_

 _"I can't spare anyone else."_

 _"Colonel, as convening authority, I'm sure you're aware of Private Boyer's military record."_

 _"Painfully."_

 _"Her proficiency and conduct marks indicate a series of combative and irrational outbursts."_

 _"Which is why she's being incarcerated."_

 _"Sir, I can't help feeling you're not taking me seriously."_

 _"I take you seriously as an attorney, Colonel. The trial is over. Step away."_

 _"So the answer is no?"_

 _"You did your job."_

 _"Sir, if the private escapes or does harm to a-"_

 _He cut her off, "Colonel, I am busy, and you are dismissed."_

 _"Aye, aye, sir," disappointed, she snapped to attention then turned and grabbed her coat, leaving quickly._

A few days later, AJ called Mac into his office during a few spare minutes he had before attending a meeting.

 _"I called Colonel Okarman as per your request," AJ picked up a stack of book from his desk, examining their spines before placing them on a shelf, "He feels that you're badgering him."_

 _Mac watched him as he finished shelving the volumes, interested, "Does that mean he refuses to replace Private Boyer's brig chaser, sir?"_

 _"No, no. He has agreed to assign someone else."_

 _"Oh. Thank you, Admiral," she was pleased with herself._

 _"Pack your gear."_

 _"Sir?" until now. Now she was surprised, not in a good way, and confused._

 _"He requested you for the assignment," AJ returned to his desk, retrieving a second pile of books for shelving._

 _"Admiral-" Mac stammered._

 _"He said he couldn't think of anyone that's more invested and vigilant than yourself," AJ relayed with a hint of amusement in his voice._

 _"Sir, he is punishing me for having an opinion."_

 _"Apparently."_

 _"What about my duties at JAG?" she could argue her way out of this, she was sure of it._

 _"Well, you're between cases, it's on the Colonel's nickel. I can spare you for a week."_

Mac had a few more up her sleeve, "Sir, you just assigned Commander Rabb to a case out of town..."

"What happened to your family care plan?"

 _"Sir, I-I've never done this before," still a chance._

 _"Well, he has confidence in your learning curve."_

 _"Admiral, I'm not exactly sure what just happened here." maybe not._

 _"Well, Colonel, you got aggressive with a senior officer. Good luck." he dismissed her, ordering her to get her flight information from Coates on her way out._

Once back in her office, Mac let out a deep sigh as she looked over the flight documents. Picking up the telephone receiver, she dialed a familiar number, getting nothing but Harm's voicemail message on the other end, "Harm, I know you're still mad at me, but screening my calls isn't going to do either of us any good. I was just assigned to be Private Boyer's brig chaser and I really need you to call me back. She's being sent to Miramar, so it'll probably be two days. I'm going to call Harriet, hopefully she can pick him up. Please call me back."

Frustrated, she dialed the Roberts' home number, which Harriet answered on the second ring, and explained the situation, hoping the lieutenant could help her out until she could get a hold of Harm.

 _Buzzers echoed through the mostly empty halls of the brig at Quantico, signaling the release of the locks and permitting PVT Boyer and her guard's exit._

 _"Welcome, ma'am," the staff sergeant addressed Mac as she struggled to drag the private over, "Liberation day, Private."_

 _Boyer looked at the guard like she was crazy, "I'm being transferred to maximum security."_

 _"I was referring to myself. You're someone else's headache now. Ma'am."_

 _"You're my brig chaser?" Boyer questioned, unconvinced that this wasn't just a bad joke._

 _"There were no Government flights available, so we'll be flying commercial. Since we'll be in a civilian space, I expect above-average comportment. Any behavior that I consider disrespectful or hostile will be handled with extreme prejudice," Mac ignored Boyer's incredulousness._

 _"That sounds like you, ma'am."_

 _Mac continued, despite the private's interruption, "Let me remind you, Private, that every word you utter influences your chances for early release. Just so you know, we'll be changing planes in Cleveland."_

 _"My hometown."_

 _"We won't be leaving the airport."_

 _Boyer retorted sarcastically, "Oh, that's too bad. We could have checked out the downtown drug scene."_

1911 ZULU  
HOPKINS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT  
CLEVELAND, OHIO

 _"I need a cigarette," Boyer complained._

Mac cringed inwardly, why can't this go any faster? If time went any slower, we'd be dead.

 _"We have 22 minutes to make our connection."_

 _Boyer continued, "I have to use the head."_

 _"Forget it."_

 _"It's right here," the private indicated the sign on the wall ahead of them._

 _Knowing she was just going to keep badgering her until she gave in, Mac relented, "Quickly."_

 _Mac began unlocking Boyer's handcuffs, and looked around the corner, searching for an empty stall._

 _Boyer snickered, "What, expecting an ambush, Colonel?"_

 _The marine colonel disregarded her prisoner's sarcasm, leading her to the bank of stalls, pushing on one, only to find it locked, "Excuse me."_

 _"Oh, sorry. Here you go, use this one," she opened a nearby door and all but pushed the younger woman inside, "You have 60 seconds."_

 _Helping a woman who had a minor luggage malfunction, Mac took her eyes and her hand off the stall door. Turning back to check on the prisoner, she found the cubicle empty. After racing out of the restroom and scanning the vicinity, she alerted the closest security guard she could find to the escape._

 _" Prisoner armed?" the head of security questioned Mac as they walked through the terminal searching for Boyer._

 _"She wasn't when she disappeared."_

 _"Potential for violence?"_

 _"Likely."_

 _"Why wasn't she restrained?"_

 _"She said she had to go to the bathroom."_

 _"How much security training have you had, Colonel?" she averted her eyes, indicating her lack of preparedness, turning from Mac, he barked at the group of security guards, " All right, let's shut it down. Secure all exits. Nice job you've just succeeded in disabling a major metropolitan airport. All stations, this is S-1, we have a Code Six, so-"_

 _Mac spotted a sign indicating a smoking area and put up a hand, "Hang on. Give me a second."_

 _The security head dropped his radio from his mouth as Mac took off at a run. Arriving at the entrance, she noticed Boyer immediately, standing in the back of the room receiving a light from a man. With her cigarette lit, Boyer looked up, rolling her eyes when she noticed Mac and the legion of security surrounding her at the entrance of the smoke pit._

 _"According to the board, we've missed our flight," Mac reported._

 _"That's unfortunate," the balding security head consulted a PDA, "Next scheduled departure to San Diego is tomorrow, same time 3:03. Put you on another airline, but, given this breach, getting a new security clearance would be unlikely. I advise you to secure lodging. The closest hotel's a mile and a half away."_

 _Mac immediately protested, "Uh, I'm not authorized to leave the premises with the prisoner."_

 _"Your prisoner is a security risk, Colonel, so we'll see you tomorrow, one hour prior to departure. We'll escort you out."_

 _I can take care of it from here._

 _We're more than happy to assist, ma'am._

 _Really, it's not necessary._

 _No, actually, it really is. Gentlemen. Colonel._

2200 ZULU  
SKYHAWK MOTEL  
CLEVELAND, OHIO

 _Finding their hotel room was fairly simple, leading the reluctant young woman up to it was the difficult part. Unlocking the door, she urged the woman to go in, "Get comfortable. We're here till 1345 tomorrow."_

 _Boyer walked over to the window, grumbling as she looked out, "Could have been gone. Had to have that cigarette."_

 _Mac retrieved her cell phone from her bag, needing to make a few calls, the first of which to Colonel Okerman, explaining the change in plans, "Yeah. This is Lieutenant Colonel MacKenzie for Colonel Okarman. When do you expect training to secure? Please have him call me on my cell phone as soon as he's able. Thank you."_

 _Mac looked at the young, soon to be former marine pointedly stating, "If I see so much as a finger move in the wrong direction, I'll restrain your ankles as well. You can shuffle your way to Miramar."_

 _"Well, seeing as I've already blown any chance of shortening my time served and you made it your business to get us a non-smoking room, let me just say, 'Screw you, ma'am.' Do I get to take a shower?_

 _"In the brig."_

 _"Well, I won't be able to sleep with these on," she picked up her hands, displaying the shining chrome of the handcuffs._

 _"Oh, I will, especially after I shackle you to the bed,"_ Mac made sure the hotel room door was secured before dropping into a chair on the far end of the room, dialing Harm's number and getting his voicemail yet again. She sighed, irritated that he still wasn't answering her calls.

It rained that night, just the kind of weather that allowed her to sleep well. Too bad it was wasted on this unexpected and unwelcomed trip. She awoke to a crack of thunder, seeing the private's silhouette outlined in the light from the street.

 _"Private, what are you doing?" She lifted her head from the pillow, propping herself up on an elbow before offering an olive branch, "If we get to the airport early, you can, uh, You can have a cigarette before we board. Private?"_

 _Mac sat up, pushing the covers off and turning on the table lamp between their beds._

 _"My daughter lives over there. She's five. I never married the father. He's got custody," the private mused in a dreamy voice._

 _Pushing thoughts about her own child, being cared for by the Robertses, out of her head, she just replied with, "You need to go back to sleep."_

 _"I haven't seen her since I enlisted," Boyer continued._

 _"Well, maybe you could write her," Mac suggested, " Then when you get out-"_

 _The private interrupted, "Do you have children, Colonel?"_

 _She was silent. Kind of shocked that the younger woman would ask such a personal question, but also not surprised at all._

 _Private Boyer persisted, "Do you want any?"_

 _"I can't imagine how this is any of your business," Mac stonewalled her._

 _"Just seeing if you can relate," Mac began settling back into bed again, "Will you take me to see my girl?_

 _"You know that's not possible."_

 _Boyer insisted, "We got time."_

 _"It's against the regs and you can't be trusted."_

 _"We already broke the regs and you could restrain me."_

 _"Good night," Mac reached to turn the lights off, signaling the end of the conversation. There was no way she could allow it, and even if she could, no kid should see their parent in shackles. Having another thought, Mac lowered her hand and asked, "Private, when you took off, were you going to see her?"_

 _Michelle Boyer affirmatively nodded her head, willing herself with everything she had, not to cry. She slid down under the blanket as the colonel turned off the light between them._

The next morning they seemed to turn over a new leaf. They had breakfast in peaceful silence, then once back in their room, Mac tried to call Harm again, finally getting him to pick up.

"Rabb," he answered.

"Harm," she spoke in a low voice, trying not to attract the sullen private's attention, "I've been trying to get a hold of you since yesterday. Where have you been?"

"Norfolk. I'm working a case. Why, what's wrong?" he asked slightly concerned.

"I'm in Cleveland, escorting a prisoner to the brig at Miramar. We missed our flight yesterday, or I'd already be on my way back and there wouldn't be an issue."

"Where is Matt?"

"He's with Lieutenant Roberts. She agreed to keep him until I found you. How much longer do you think you'll be there?"

"I don't know Mac, we're still investigating. I have Bud down here with me, do you think she'll be okay with all three kids? If it's too much, I could ask Jennifer-"

"No, she has Mattie. He'll be fine where he's at. Listen, if you finish before I get back, give me a call."

"Will do, Mac. Be safe. I'll talk to you later."

"Thanks, bye," she ended the call and looked up to find the private watching her intently, having heard her half of the conversation.

Trying to steer away from any conversation having to do with the phone call, Mac stood up and glanced out the window.

"What do you think about taking a little drive?"

Boyer perked up, hope filling her eyes, "I think that would be great, ma'am."

Mac dialed the number for the taxi company that had dropped them off at the motel the day before, and requested a cab as soon as they could. Pulling up to the curb of the address Boyer gave to the driver, Mac helped her up, out of the yellow car.

 _"Don't disappoint me, Private," she commanded._

 _Anxiously, Private Boyer began rambling, "I need a cigarette. Can you get the pack I bought, ma'am? Wait. No, no, no. Never mind, never mind. I don't want to have cigarette breath. I'm ready, ma'am."_

 _Mac pulled a key ring out of her pocket, searching for the one that would open the handcuffs, "I hope I don't regret this."_

 _"I won't make a move without asking you first," Boyer assured her before they walked up the front steps and rang the door bell, "Hi, Glenn. Um, this is Lieutenant Colonel MacKenzie. We were on our way to Miramar and we had a stopover, and so-"_

 _He looked a little angry at their sudden appearance, "You should have called."_

 _"It just... It kind of just happened. Is, uh, Sharrona here?" she asked nervously._

 _"Uh-huh."_

 _"What's she doing?"_

 _"Drawing."_

 _"When did that start?"_

 _"When I bought her stuff to draw with. It's a way of trying to get her to express herself."_

 _"Oh. That's a surprise coming from Mister Poker Face."_

 _Seeing the tension between the two, Mac cut in, " You know, we won't be taking too much of your time."_

 _The young man looked between the two women on his porch before relenting and opening the screen door, "You won't be doing anything without my permission."_

 _"Thanks," Mac whispered, passing through the door Glenn held open for her and Private Boyer._

 _"Sharrona," he called, "Your mama's here to see you."_

 _Coming around the corner through the front room, Boyer spotted her daughter sitting at the kitchen table, "Hi, baby. Look how big you got. So what's up?"_

 _The little girl largely ignored her, but finally answered shortly, "We're going ice skating today."_

 _"Oh, that's great. You know how to do that?"_

 _The girl happily boasted, "I'm better than my daddy."_

 _"Yeah, so was I," Sharrona gave her mother a look._

 _"Did he do your hair?" she nodded as Boyer stepped closer to look at the drawing, " You look all right, girl. What is it?"_

 _" A dragon."_

 _"Oh. What's he doing?"_

 _"Skating."_

 _Private Boyer slid into a chair at the other side of the table, " Is he at the rink, or is he with his friends..?"_

 _Sharrona took off running to her father, screaming and starting to cry._

 _He picked the little girl up, rubbing her back to soothe her, "It's okay, honey. She ain't gonna hurt you. Go talk to her. If I had time to prepare her-"_

 _"It's been, um, two years. I understand," Boyer was crushed, "This could happen another time. I, uh I'll be back through here again. I could write. I could do the email thing. Yeah."_

 _Glenn shook his head, sympathizing with his ex, "I'm sorry, Michelle."_

 _"No. It's okay. I mean, we gotta go anyway. Ma'am, is it okay that I use the bathroom?"_

 _Mac consented, "Yeah, just leave the door ajar."_

 _"Why don't you go get your fuzzy hat?" Glenn suggested, putting the girl down and turning to the marine in his living room, "Things okay with her?"_

 _"Yeah."_

 _"Next time, it'll be better."_

 _"Yeah, I'm sure."_

 _Boyer came back through the dining room and looked around, "Where she at?"_

 _"Upstairs."_

 _"You're doing good, Glenn."_

 _"Thank you."_

The ride back to the hotel was silent, and as soon as they arrived, PVT Boyer flopped down on her bed, not moving while Mac rearranged and zipped up her carry-on. Her phone rang not long after they returned. Answering it, she heard Harm's voice on the other line, informing her that he was back from Norfolk and had called Harriet on the way up. Pleased with the way the day was turning out, she hung up with Harm and called the taxi company. Mac watched Boyer slink into the bathroom, quietly closing the door behind her, while she was on the line with the cab dispatcher. Not too long after, the cab arrived and Boyer was still in the bathroom.

 _Mac knocked on the closed bathroom door, calling to the woman inside over the noise of the honking taxi, "The cab is waiting."_

 _"I know."_

 _"If we don't leave right now, we're going to miss our flight," Mac reminded her._

 _"Just hang on! Damn!"_

 _Mac heard something hit the floor in the closed room. Opening the door, she found Private Boyer scrambling to pick up the pills she'd spilled on the floor, "What are you doing? 'Glenn Sheets. For insomnia.' You got these out of his medicine cabinet? Were you going to kill yourself?"_

1858 ZULU  
SKYHAWK MOTEL  
CLEVELAND OHIO

 _"How many of these did you take?" Mac demanded hauling Boyer out of the bathroom._

 _"None. I'm not suicidal."_

 _"Yeah, I don't believe you. You're going to the emergency room."_

 _"Look, get off me, okay?" Boyer jerked her arm out of Mac's grasp, explaining, "It was never going to happen. I was just feeling sorry for myself. I mean, I-I could never commit suicide. Man, I just get too damn hungry. Wait a minute, I don't have to defend myself to you! Just back the hell up out my face, okay?!"_

 _"I was assigned to be in your face, Private, and for good reason. You got your head so far up your six, I could roll you to Miramar," Mac fired back._

 _"Well, excuse me for my pain, but no one, especially no tight, white-ass lawyer, is going to tell me how to feel or what to do about it," Boyer was quick to come back._

 _"Right now, your pain belongs to the Marine Corps. You can feel whatever you want once you've paid your debt to your country."_

 _"My country owes me," the private was inches from Mac's face, speaking through clenched teeth, "I was falsely accused."_

 _"Well, then you should've appealed instead of slugging the trial counsel."_

 _"Where I grew up, we don't appeal. We react."_

 _"See, that's your first mistake. You think you grew up."_

 _"Stop trying to school me, all right?! Come on, Colonel, do what you're trained to do. Come on, you want to mix it up? Let's go, make it right for yourself," Boyer incited, bumping up against the other woman._

 _Sarah MacKenzie was not amused by the provocative actions of her prisoner, "Why did you leave your daughter?"_

 _"What?" she backed up, surprised._

 _"If you care about her so much, why did you abandon her?"_

 _" You know, that- that shouldn't be too hard for you to understand, Colonel."_

 _"Did you hit her?"_

 _"No!" Boyer exclaimed, "Almost."_

 _"How did you get so angry?"_

 _" I don't know how people make it through the day without being angry."_

 _"Is that why you do drugs?"_

 _"I don't do drugs!" the private insisted for what seemed like the hundredth time._

 _" You know, this behavior won't serve you in the brig."_

 _"I know you are wrong about that."_

 _"You might be able to intimidate a few inmates here and there, but eventually, your rage is going to destroy you."_

 _"Speak for yourself," Boyer rounded back, rearing to go again._

 _"I am," Mac replied calmly, "Now let's pick up those pills and flush 'em."_

 _By the time they were done and both women were ready to go, the cabbie had already left, so Mac called for another. The second one took so long to get to them that they ended up missing their flight for the second time. Catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror, Boyer came down hard on herself, finally asking for help._

 _That evening, the two marines walked companionably to a diner not far from the hotel, in search of a meal._

 _Mac took a sip of her coffee and watched Private Boyer wolf down another muffin, "That's your third muffin, Private."_

 _She looked up, slightly embarrassed, "Are they going to be counting how much I eat in prison, Colonel?"_

 _"I would expect portion control."_

 _"Mm. Well, then I'm going to have me another."_

 _"You know, this is probably a good time to be talking about how you're going to do your time hard or easy?" Mac noticed Boyer begin breathing deeply, closing her eyes, " You all right?"_

 _Boyer began pulling at her collar, "I, um, I haven't had a cigarette in three days. I think I've, uh, quit without even realizing it. Oh, God."_

 _The private leaned over the end of the booth, emptying all three and a half muffins, plus the rest of her stomach's contents on the diner's linoleum floor._

 _"Private?" Mac got her up quickly, throwing some bills on the table and apologizing to the waitress._

0002 ZULU  
ERIE GENERAL HOSPITAL  
CLEVELAND, OHIO

Hailing a cab, she rushed her sick captive to the emergency room. They lucked out, most of the ER was empty, so they got in fairly quickly to be seen.

 _"Okay, tell me how many times you've regurgitated," the doctor asked as he sat down on a stool in front of Boyer._

 _"Three."_

 _"Let me see your arms, please," he examined her arms, then took a small penlight out of his pocket, "Head back."_

 _Concerned, Mac questioned, "Can I ask what you're looking for, Doctor?"_

 _" Maybe the private can help. Have you used heroin in the last hour?"_

 _Boyer looked at the doctor incredulous, "What did you ask me?"_

 _Your blood tested positive for opiates. Have you been using recently?"_

 _"No. You've been with me, Colonel. Tell the man," Mac raised a cynical eyebrow as the private pleaded with her, "Come on, ma'am. How could I make that happen?"_

 _" Well, let me think. You could have scored at the airport, hidden it on your person, and saved it for when you felt you needed it."_

 _"In three minutes?"_

 _"At the restaurant, I let you go to the bathroom on your own. You got sick after that."_

 _"You're trying me twice, ma'am."_

 _"I'm only asking because I actually see no signs of use. I get a lot of drug cases here and there are either needle marks or nasal residue. Let me ask you a question. Did you eat poppy seeds at any time prior to getting sick?"_

 _"The muffins," A light bulb went on, "She had three poppy seed muffins."_

 _"Heroin is distilled from opium which is a byproduct of poppy seeds," the young intern explained, "Now, theoretically, it is possible to test positive if you've eaten a large quantity. Now, the nanogram levels are supposedly set high enough to avoid false positives. But your system may just be very sensitive. Have you ever had this kind of reaction before?"_

 _" The night you were arrested, weren't you sick?" Mac asked._

 _" Yeah, I mean, I had two bagels at a deli. Can you do an allergic test or something?"_

 _The doctor stood and vowed, " I can and will."_

 _"I accept your apology, ma'am," Boyer said cheekily as Mac rolled her eyes._

 _After being released from the hospital, the two women rushed back to the hotel to gather their belongings, then raced to the airport to catch their flight. On their way to the gate, Mac placed a call to Quantico._

 _"Colonel Okarman," he answered on the third ring._

 _"Sir, this is Lieutenant Colonel Mackenzie. I've been trying to reach you."_

 _"Just returned from maneuvers. Mission complete?"_

 _"We're still en route, sir."_

 _"You're joking?"_

 _"We were waylaid in Cleveland. We're about to board now."_

 _"You've been at that airport for two days?" the colonel demanded._

 _'This is not going to go well.'_

 _"In a motel," she corrected._

 _"Colonel, you are not authorized to deviate from your route."_

 _"It wasn't my decision, sir."_

 _"Why was airport security involved?"_

 _"The prisoner achieved separation for three minutes," she could feel the tirade coming._

 _"Oh, for-"_

 _Changing the subject quickly, Mac reported her findings from the hospital, "Colonel, I've uncovered evidence that suggests that Private Boyer could be innocent of the drug charge."_

 _"You've been conducting an investigation?"_

 _"No, sir, I stumbled upon it. I have an intern at Erie General who will testify that an ingestion of poppy seeds-"_

 _"Get that prisoner to Miramar now, Colonel. And when you're done, I want your six in my office."_

 _'Definitely not well.'_

 _"Sir, I'm requesting that you reverse the guilty finding."_

 _"Absolutely not."_

 _"I hope you're not punishing Private Boyer because of any ill will you might have towards me, sir."_

 _"The UCMJ is punishing the private, Colonel, and if she has a case, she can appeal it while she's serving her sentence."_

 _"Can I at least fax you a memo outlining my findings?"_

" _After she's behind bars. Good day," he hung up on her._

 _Frustrated, Mac boarded the plane with Private Boyer and a security escort. They would figure this mess out, whether the Colonel liked it or not, she owed it to the young woman to fix this error._

1922 ZULU  
HARM'S APARTMENT  
NORTH OF UNION STATION

Harm unlocked his apartment door, and retrieved his briefcase from just outside the door. As soon as he nudged the door closed with his foot, he noticed the trail of ladies clothing leading up the stairs to his bedroom and the shower running. Raising an eyebrow, he followed the trail, reaching the last piece as the water shut off. Emerging in a cloud of steam and wrapped in a bath towel, Sarah MacKenzie strolled out from the bathroom to two identical pairs of gray-blue eyes staring at her.

"Oh, hey... I didn't think you'd be home so early," she tried to cut the awkward tension.

Harm swallowed and cleared his throat, "Uh, I didn't expect you to be here, either. How did you get back from San Diego so quickly?"

"I took a red eye as soon as I transferred Private Boyer to brig custody. After two missed flights and three days stuck in a hotel, I was ready to come home. I got in not too long after you left for work, so I took a nap, went for a run, and jumped in the shower. You were obviously here when I got out. Why **are** you home so early?" she finished as she towel dried her hair.

"I was pulled out of a meeting because our little eating machine here," he indicated the smiling and cooing baby, "Ran out of milk. I was going to just run home and grab some to drop off, but I didn't have court today and that meeting was the only thing on my schedule, so I asked for the rest of the day off."

She picked a few pieces of clothing out of the closet and retreated behind the glass blocks that sectioned off Harm's bathroom area, "I'm not due back until tomorrow morning, myself. I just... I took the private to the ER two days ago because she started vomiting and having a hard time breathing. The doctor didn't find any physical evidence of drug use, like needle marks or residue, but her routine blood tests came back positive for opiates. He did some additional testing that showed a sensitivity to poppy seeds. When I tried to relay that back to Colonel Okarman, he shut me down. He refuses to revisit the charges."

"Have you tried talking to the admiral?"

"No, but I plan to in the morning," Mac stepped out of the bathroom, fully dressed this time, "Okerman's disdain for me shouldn't affect the way he handles this case. It's entirely unfair to the private, I can't say I wouldn't be as angry as she is, given the circumstances. I'm considering dropping the assault charge, too."

"Mac, she hit you. You were lucky you didn't smack your head on the edge of the table or the floor on your way down, it could have been so much worse," Harm disputed, handing over the impatient baby to his mother.

Shifting the boy in her arms, Mac picked up immediately, effectively shutting down the conversation, "But it wasn't. I'm fine, Harm."

 _Mac sat in the witness stand, a position she hadn't been in for quite a while, "Now that Private Boyer's been acquitted, I believe her assault sentence should also be revoked. I've come to realize, Your Honor, that the private, having to face punishment for a crime she did not commit, was motivated by an uncommon sense of frustration. I'm not sure, in the same situation, that I would be able to control my outrage."_

 _"I tend to think you would, Colonel, but thank you for your testimony," Colonel Blakely disagreed, "You may step down. Does defense counsel have anything to add?"_

 _Bud stood to make his request, "Yes, Your Honor. We ask the court to consider these special circumstances and ask that there be no confinement or reduction in rate."_

 _"Commander?" Blakely shifted his focus to Sturgis._

 _" The government has no recommendation, Your Honor."_

 _"Accused and counsel, please rise. Private Michelle Boyer, your anger at having been unfairly accused is understandable, but your response remains unacceptable. I cannot, in good conscience, rule out confinement as a punishment. But I can reduce the time you will serve from five years to one year, the extent of your original sentence. I will also return you to the rank of Private First Class and refrain from imposing the punitive discharge. We are adjourned."_

 _"Thank you," Boyer let out a breath, looking between Mac and Bud, "Thank you, ma'am. Sir."_

 _"You're welcome."_

 _"Well, we're back at the beginning."_

 _"Well, beyond that, Private," Bud insisted, "I think you'll find anger therapy much more useful than drug counseling."_

 _"Yeah. Ma'am, you asked me whether I was going to do my time hard or easy," the newly restored PFC took out a child's drawing to show the officers, "Well, I got that in the mail yesterday and there's your answer."_


	12. Fighting Words

1507 ZULU  
THE PENTAGON  
WASHINGTON, D.C.

 _"Not only have we captured Saddam Hussein, we have also captured or killed almost all of his most trusted lieutenants. And I want to introduce two men who have been key to this success," the Secretary of the Navy motioned to the two men standing behind him, "Major General Earl Watson of the United States Marines and General Mohammed Jabra of the Iraqi Army. As of today, these two outstanding generals are assigned to lead the joint task force charged with capturing all remaining high-value targets. Ladies and gentlemen, General Watson and General Jabra."_

 _The members of the press vie for the Iraqi general's attention, "Could you give us the Iraqi point of view on relations with the U.S. military?_

 _General Jabra stepped to the podium, accepting the question, "I speak for all Iraqi people when I say that our trust in your military has grown, as our nation grows more secure. On a personal level, I've had many late-night cups of coffee with General Watson and have found him to be quite agreeable. Though perhaps a little obsessed with American football."_

 _The members of the press shared a laugh with the general then quickly erupted into a raucous again, each attempting to be heard. A voice finally rang out through the crowd, "General, are you confident you're the right man to be working so closely with General Jabra and the other Iraqis, given your hostile attitude toward their religion?"_

 _There was a moment of silence after the blonde reporter brashly let loose her inquiry. General Watson squinted and tilted his head at the unexpected question._

 _"I don't know what you're talking about," the general was resolute._

 _"General, I was at the Alexandria Baptist Church yesterday when you gave your guest sermon. You described Islam as a second-rate religion and said we're doing battle with the Devil."_

 _"What I said in church- And what I believe- Is simply that the United States is engaged in a global war against evil."_

 _The room erupted into agitated shouts and questions before the general got out anything else._

Minutes after returning to his office, the Secretary of the Navy was on the phone with the Judge Advocate General's office, all but demanding he and some of his best and brightest meet him in his office as soon as possible. Rear Admiral A.J. Chegwidden was out of his office and calling for his two senior officers in minutes, instructing them to grab their things and meet him in the motor pool.

1614 ZULU  
THE PENTAGON  
WASHINGTON, D.C.

 _Secretary of the Navy Edward Sheffield examined a foreign newspaper while addressing the three officers gathered in his office, "This media frenzy over General Watson has reached from Norway to Zanzibar._ _ **Zanzibar,**_ _folks. Believe me, it doesn't do us any good anywhere."_

 _"The international community is already suspicious of our motives," A.J. responded, looking down at his hands._

 _Commander Harmon Rabb picked up from the admiral sitting to his right, "I agree the general may have chosen his words poorly. However, what he said is not entirely false. We are at war with a decidedly evil people."_

 _Lieutenant Colonel Sarah MacKenzie immediately sounded her distaste, "General Watson sounded like he was equating evil with Islam."_

 _"Well, that's not what he said," Harm countered turning to look at Mac._

 _"But that's how some of our allies and enemies are going to interpret it," A.J. cut in._

 _"Well, if we're going to reassure them that the general is not a fanatic, we need to know what else he said. Did he really call Islam a 'second-rate religion'?" Sheffield rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on._

 _"Well, the last I checked, church sermons were protected by the Constitutional provisions for freedom of speech and freedom of religion."_

 _"Military personnel are not as free as other Americans, Commander," Sheffield smiled ruefully, "The DOD, IG, and the Marine Corps have requested JAG investigate the general's remarks."_

 _"We'll get right on it, sir," A.J. nodded._

 _He and Harm were halfway out of their seats before the SecNav began speaking again, "I'm not eager to see General Watson get burned. He's a courageous officer, and he's proved vital in our counterinsurgency efforts."_

 _"Mr. Secretary, um-" A.J. gathered his thoughts and, treading lightly, impressed upon the Secretary, "In order for us to reassure our allies, or anyone else, for that matter, our investigation needs to be independent of any undue pressure."_

 _"Of course, A.J.," Sheffield refocused his attention from A.J. to Mac, "And I'd like to say that I'm glad the general will be investigated by someone of Muslim heritage. I think that'll enhance our credibility."_

'Oh, he did not just drag that out...' _She shifted in her seat, "Sir, I don't feel comfortable having my cultural background factor in my assignments."_

 _"Well, Colonel, I've come to learn that religion is a factor in everything. Good luck. And do me one little favor. Don't talk to the press."_

All three lawyers rode back to headquarters in silence, save for the admiral assigning them the investigation. After dropping off A.J., Harm and Mac redirected their government issue blue sedan back south, toward Quantico.

Taking his eyes off the road momentarily, Harm observed his partner then turned his eyes back to the pavement ahead. He removed a hand from the steering wheel and captured one of hers, also acquiring her attention and a small smile in the process. He smiled back, giving it a gentle squeeze before resting their joined hands on the center console.

1448 ZULU  
QUANTICO, VIRGINIA

 _"When you're on patrol in Baghdad or manning an Iraqi checkpoint, what do you think would be the most important phrase to know?" General Watson nodded at a young marine in front of him, "Yes, Captain."_

 _"Qif WA-IL-la SA-et-leg el-far- Stop or I will shoot."_

 _Harm and Mac entered the small classroom as the captain finished, observing quietly from the rear of the group. A woman in the back of the room stood, raising her hand._

 _" Uh, yes, Amira," the general acknowledged._

 _"Actually, that means, 'Stop or I will release the mice.'" A collective chuckle went up in the room, "What you want is, "Qif WA-IL-la SA-et-leg qw-naar."_

 _" Now, people, let's, uh try and get that right. But I think there's another phrase when in Iraq you would find to be very important. And that is, "Nahnoo hoona limoo-saa-edu-tek- We are here to help you."_

 _"Very good, General," Amira praised._

 _"I'll quit while I'm ahead. Let us thank Amira Sattar for her expert assistance. Now, Marines, I want you to have everything in your notebooks fully digested by 0800 tomorrow. Dismissed."_

 _The room full of marines all jumped to their feet, snapping to attention, "Aye, aye, sir."_

 _"Thank you, Amira."_

 _"You're welcome, General."_

 _"General, sir," Harm and Mac stepped forward through the exiting group to address the general, " This is Lieutenant Colonel Mackenzie. I'm Commander Rabb. We're with Headquarters JAG."_

 _Watson offered his hand to Mac, "Colonel."_

 _"Hello, sir."_

 _"Commander," he shook Harm's hand firmly as well._

 _"Sir."_

 _"I was told to expect a visit. Please, have a seat," offering both officers chairs, he perched himself on the corner of one of the tables._

 _"Thank you, sir."_

 _"What would you like to know?"_

 _"Well, sir, why don't we start with what you said at the church? According to Jill Waddington, the ZNN reporter, you called Islam a 'second-rate religion,'" Mac began as she settled into the chair._

 _"I don't recall my exact words. I suspect Ms. Waddington exaggerated. But I probably did say something like that, yes," he observed Mac's slightly affronted squint, "You're offended?"_

 _Not giving her the chance to rip the man to shreds, Harm responded quickly, "We're listening, sir."_

 _"Commander, I'm aware that in this morally relativistic age, I'm supposed to declare every religion equal, and Christianity is no better than Zoroastrianism. But I believe that any religion that doesn't accept Jesus Christ as our Savior is not following the true path. If that makes me insensitive, then so be it."_

 _Not dissuaded by Harm's insertion, she began speaking first this time, "Well, sir, you're certainly honest. But you're essentially dividing the world into Christians and infidels."_

 _"That's not a word I would use, Colonel."_

 _"Sir, did you as the reporter claims- State that this country is presently 'doing battle with the Devil'?"_

 _"Commander, whether you believe the Devil is real or just a metaphor, wouldn't you agree that an evil force was behind 9/11?"_

 _"Well, that would be difficult to deny, General."_

 _"Sir, in your guest sermon, did you equate Islam with evil?"_

 _"No. But there are certain aspects of Islam that trouble me. The religion has a warrior streak that is too easily appropriated as a justification for holy war and terrorism."_

 _"In all fairness, sir, Islam explicitly condemns terrorism. And Christianity has been misused to justify everything from enslaving Africans to massacring American Indians."_

 _"That's true, Colonel, and I condemn that, as well. But Ms. Waddington only mentioned_ _ **part**_ _of my sermon."_

 _Furrowing his brow, Harm asked for clarification, "What was the other part, sir?"_

 _"That all of the world's peoples are our brothers and sisters. And it is our Christian duty to protect them from tyranny and violence. But don't trust my recollection of the sermon, Commander. Ask the people who heard me speak."_

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

 _The duo left their meeting with General Watson and headed over to the church he held his sermon at to do just as he suggested. The pastor and the church secretary were the only two people in the building, so they split up to take them on individually. Not surprisingly, they told two radically different stories of the general's sermon. The preacher sung General Watson's praises, insisting that he spoke of Islam in a reverent and respectful way, the secretary reported that the general made her feel uncomfortable and was adamant that the general was critical and almost offensive in his fire and brimstone speech._

On the way back to headquarters they were both silent. They spent a lot of time in silence, it seemed, lately, if they were even around each other. Mac had quickly transitioned back into her own apartment following the incident with Webb at his condo. After coming clean about it, she could hardly look him in the eye, she was so ashamed of herself. She still brought the baby to Harm's apartment for them to spend time together, or he would go to her place and see the boy while she made herself busy elsewhere in the apartment.

Harm's eyes were focused on the road, both hands gripping the steering wheel firmly, which in turn flexed the muscles of his forearms. His brow was slightly furrowed and his eyes squinting a bit against the bright sun from behind his dark aviator sunglasses. She watched him openly and brazenly, taking in the features she knew so well. His light five o'clock shadow beginning to just become visible, his dark, short-cropped hair with just a touch of gel to keep it tame, broad shoulders encased in the snow white polyester uniform shirt... She could spend the rest of her life just looking at him.

"Do you think we'll ever get it together?" it was out before she could stop herself.

He removed his foot from the accelerator, compensating for traffic, and glanced at her shrugging, "I don't know. It seems like every time we get close, one of us steps in a new pile of it. I thought we'd finally figured it out in December, we were getting along, we were settling into being a family, looking forward to the new baby together... Then this thing with Sadik... I know his showing up wasn't your fault, but it changed everything. You stopped talking to me about anything that wasn't little Matt or work."

"Have I apologized for that yet?" she asked wincing.

"No," he stated matter-of-factly, "You haven't."

"I'm sorry for shutting you out. I didn't mean to, but I guess I didn't make a conscious effort to include you in my hedonism and self-pity," she chuckled ruefully, "Will you forgive me?"

Raising an eyebrow at her, he hesitatingly took her hand, raised it to his lips and placed a light kiss on the back, "There is nothing you could do to change the way I feel about you. We will certainly disagree on a lot of things, now and in the future, but I think we will always get our best, most productive work done together- at home and in the courtroom."

His gentle touch and sent a jolt of electricity through her, followed by a warm pleasant feeling that settled in her chest. They had hope, and that was all that mattered for now.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

 _When the officers arrived back at headquarters, Mac was gathering evidentiary material for some of her cases when Sturgis happened upon her. He struck up a conversation, curious about the case and walked back through the bullpen with her._

 _"My father was a Navy chaplain since before I was born. Thank you, " Sturgis accepted an envelope from a young admin lieutenant and continued on with the colonel while absently opening it and removing the contents, " I never heard him once say a single negative word about another religion."_

 _"Yeah, no matter how we handle this, we'll offend a lot of people," she responded dropping the tall pile of file folders on a file cabinet outside Sturgis' office with a groan putting a hand to her back._

 _"You okay?"_

 _"Yeah, I'm fine. Except I could use some help on this case."_

 _"I'd be glad to," he offered, " Just let me know if I get overly sanctimonious."_

 _Mac smiled at the quasi-joke before tossing back, "You, Sturgis?"_

 _"Oh, boy."_

 _"What?"_

 _"I was hoping this would go away. I'm being investigated."_

 _She leaned forward, "For what?"_

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

 _AJ called Lieutenant Roberts into his office, assigning the man to investigate with potential to defend Commander Turner against charges of bias. Bud showed some reluctance, citing the appeal he won by shredding Sturgis' credibility as a competent lawyer. Just as Admiral Chegwidden dismissed Roberts, Harm knocked on the heavy mahogany door, holding it open for Mac to pass in front of him, before following behind her. Sturgis brought up the rear, swinging the door closed behind the exiting Lieutenant._

 _"So, what have you got on General Watson?"_

 _"We've talked to seven people who heard his guest sermon last Sunday, sir," Mac reported._

 _Harm followed up with, "And each one has a different story."_

 _"But taken together, they indicate General Watson publicly denigrated Islam."_

 _"The evidence is highly ambiguous, sir."_

 _The two officers alternated their opposing views on the case before the admiral interrupted them, "You two ever get tired of disagreeing?"_

 _They simultaneously answered still disagreeing, Mac in the positive, Harm in the negative._ Their little dispute put a small smile on both officers' faces as they reflected back on their conversation from earlier.

 _"Sir, if the Colonel is correct, General Watson is guilty of conduct unbecoming. And not only that, his public statements may be undermining our war on terrorism," watching the other two officers pass a look and shared smile between them, Sturgis stepped up._

 _"Sir, I think we're being roped into a politically correct witch hunt. Some overly ambitious TV reporter makes exaggerated claims. Suddenly we're all jumping through hoops."_

 _"Well, Commander, you're going to need a 12-foot ladder for this one. I taped this about ten minutes ago," the admiral switched on the TV monitor, which showed Jill Waddington reporting on a newly discovered tape of a sermon General Watson had delivered three years prior._

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

 _Mac and Sturgis rounded the corner, coming from the courtrooms, "I realize we can't stop people from being prejudiced. But there's no excuse for shooting off your mouth and alienating half the world._

 _"So when it comes to prejudice, 'Don't ask, don't tell?'" Sturgis raised an eyebrow._

 _The person Mac least wanted to see whirled around in the entrance to the bullpen, "Colonel Mackenzie. Jill Waddington, ZNN."_

 _"We've already met," Mac answered curtly, "Who authorized you to be in this building?"_

 _"I have a meeting with the public affairs office. Why is this inquiry being held in private?"_

 _"With all due respect, Ms. Waddington, we have nothing to say," Sturgis cut in._

 _"Is JAG attempting to whitewash General Watson's actions?_ Colonel, will your relationship with General Watson's defense council create any kind of ethical dilemma? Trading evidence and strategy over dinner, maybe pillow talk? _" the reporter leaned forward, pen to paper._

 _"The PAO's office is upstairs," Mac stated shortly, pushing past the blonde reporter._

 _Still rooted to the spot, Jill shouted after her, "Colonel, because your general acted inappropriately, is that a reason to be angry with the press?"_

 _As they both headed toward his office, Turner dismissed Jill Waddington's fishing expedition into his co-council's personal life, instead inquiring, "How did she get onto General Watson in the first place?"_

 _They discussed the unlikely story Ms. Waddington had given, about happening to drive by the base chapel and seeing General Watson's name on the message board. Sturgis was the one who suggested they subpoena her phone records, hoping her source would turn up, Mac proposed they find the slides he'd used in the speeches as well._

 _"I feel a little hypocritical. I'm being investigated for prejudice, and here I am going PC on the general."_

 _"Your case is totally different than General Watson's."_

 _"Both of us could have our careers destroyed."_

 _"Sturgis, there's no way you're guilty. You're far too obsessively rational to be prejudiced against anyone," Mac reassured him with a teasing smile._

 _"Thanks... I think."_

 _She turned to withdraw to her office, "Besides, I'm sure Lieutenant Roberts will determine there's nothing to it."_

 _"Bud is investigating?" he spun quickly on his heel._

 _"I-I thought you knew."_

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

 _General Watson's inquiry had begun that morning with Mac introducing the unaired ZNN footage of his post-9/11 sermon. Harm didn't seem amused with her questioning of the general's disbursal of false information and incendiary remarks regarding Islam. He objected to most of her remarks and argued with her over the impact the general's statements may or may not have on the War on Terror and the general public._

 _The panel interrupted their back and forth, "Did you clear your comments with public affairs in advance?_

 _"Public affairs had a lot on its plate at the time," General Watson insisted._

 _"Were you aware the media would be at this church service?"_

 _"No. I flew in from Tampa the night before."_

 _"But when you arrived at the chapel, and saw a TV news crews, why didn't you moderate your comments?"_

 _Harm spoke up, "I believe the general has answered that question, sir. 9/11 was not a time for moderation. Emotions were running high."_

 _"Yes, it was a crisis situation," Mac interrupted, delivering a kill shot, "Exactly when we need our military leaders at their best."_

 _The panel recessed until the next day, leaving the afternoon open for the prosecution to chase down their new lead- Jill Waddington's source._

 _Stepping off the elevator, Mac turned to the tall navy lawyer walking with her, "Tell me something, Harm. Were you offended by the general's comments about Islam?"_

 _"A lot of things offend me, Mac. It's what gets me going in the morning."_

She smiled raising an eyebrow jokingly skeptical, "That all? _But seriously..."_

A slight blush crept up from the commander's collar, clearing his throat, he continued _"Look, do I agree with all of General Watson's views no. However, the general has spent his life protecting our freedoms. Now we're trying to take away his right to freedom of religion and freedom of speech._ And I don't think you really want to know the answer to your other question, Colonel."

 _"Colonel?" Sturgis materialized in the doorway to the bullpen._

 _"Now, doesn't that offend you?" Harm questioned before breaking away to head off to a conference room._

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

A knock on the door startled Harm, causing him to lose his place in the book he was reading. Setting it down on his now vacant chair, he strolled over to the door, opening it to find Mac on the other side, and the travel system containing their son parked next to the door.

"Hey, I didn't know you were coming. I would've made dinner or something," he stepped out of the way, allowing her entrance.

"I didn't either until right before I left," she parked the stroller inside the door and freed the baby from his restraint, "I have to leave early tomorrow morning for North Carolina. I'll only be gone for a day or less, but I didn't want to have to wake him up so early to either do this anyway, or bother the sitter at 4 am. Are you okay with taking him for the night?"

"Yeah, no problem. Listen, if you're not in a hurry, we could grab a bite, or I could whip up something here," he offered.

Pondering deeply, she smiled, "I think we could fit it into our hectic schedules, huh, big guy?"

Lifting Matt, she blew a raspberry on his tummy, eliciting a giggle. Harm grinned at the sight before him, things were definitely looking up.

Leaning back in her chair, Mac let out a deep sigh, "That was incredible Harm. A significant step up from your meatless meatloaf."

"A compliment from Sarah MacKenzie? Do my ears deceive me?" he teased.

"Keep it up Flyboy, and it'll be your last. Look, I hate to eat and run, but I have to pack still and get some sleep."

They both stood up reluctantly, Harm leading the way to the door. He had his hand on the door handle, when she spoke his name. He was caught off-guard by her proximity when he turned around, further surprised when she reached up and planted a fiery kiss on his lips, pinning him to the door he'd been about to open. Overcoming the shock fairly quickly, he responded, putting his hands on her hips and drawing her even closer.

Just as suddenly as she initiated the kiss, she broke away with a wide grin, "I thought I'd leave you with something to 'get you going in the morning'."

He attempted to quell the physical reaction he was having by sheer willpower. His willpower was fading fast. Laughing at his overly serious facial expression, she shifted up to her tiptoes, kissed him on the cheek, glanced over at their sleeping baby and gently shoved him off the door to leave.

Mac met with Corporal Hamud, 'the source', early the next afternoon. His hesitance to be named stemmed from fear that he would be retaliated against as a 'whistle-blower'. He'd attended General Watson's first sermon and was upset by it, so when he heard the general was up for a new high-profile assignment, he called the ZNN reporter.

With the help of the corporal's testimony, the panel of inquiry recommended General Watson's charges go to general court martial.

1428 ZULU  
JAG HEADQUARTERS  
FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA

With the recommendation of general court martial, Admiral Chegwidden requested the presence of the three trial lawyers in his office.

 _Immediately putting them all at ease, he informed them of the stakes, "All the major American networks and Al Jazeera will be covering the court-martial."_

 _"By the time this is over, sir, General Watson's controversial statements about Islam will be seen by hundreds of millions of people," Sturgis lamented._

 _Always ready to defend his client, Harm jumped in, "Why don't we just accept the fact that some of our leaders have strong opinions and that's what makes them great leaders?"_

 _"Great leaders don't actively promote the clash of civilizations."_

 _"Mac, that was the media's doing. General Watson merely stated his belief that God is not neutral in the struggle between freedom and terrorism."_

 _"You know, I think God would prefer it if people didn't throw his name around quite so much," Mac smirked, throwing a glance up to Harm._

AJ's silent chuckle was interrupted by a knock and his office door being opened to admit the Secretary of the Navy. Jesting about keeping the inquiry quiet, Sheffield turned to Mac, asking who she planned on calling for witnesses.

 _"Actually, uh, Mr. Secretary, I was thinking of calling you."_

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

 _"Today's witnesses were a mixed bag for the prosecution. In fact, some foreign observers questioned whether the prosecution is actually trying to win this case, since it could prove embarrassing for the government."_

 _Mac stared up at the wall-mounted TV screens, "Stupid twit."_

 _"Well, that we agree on. Listen, I need your witness list for tomorrow."_

 _She jumped slightly, and looked over her shoulder at the approaching navy commander, "Still working on it."_

 _"Mac, you know-"_

 _"Skip it, Harm. I'm not interested in a deal."_

" _Neither am I_. _In fact, I think you should have the charges dropped_."

 _"Dream on."_

 _"All you have are statements the general made right after 9/11."_

 _"And the ones he made at the Alexandria Baptist Church less than one month ago."_

 _"There's no objective record of his statements, Mac. You call witnesses to testify that he attacked Islam and the church; I'll call witnesses who remember the exact opposite."_

Spinning on her heel, Mac headed for her office, "You are maddening. You really think that this is acceptable behavior for a general officer in public. You can't keep hiding behind the first amendment, Harm. There **are** limits to everything."

"I think it doesn't matter what I believe, it's my duty to defend the General to the best of my abilities," he followed behind her, closing her door behind himself.

"Did you know Jill Waddington accused us of having an inappropriate relationship? She implied loudly, right outside the bullpen might I add, that we were trading information for sexual favors-"

"That's absurd. I would never ask you for information in exchange for sex."

"I know that. There is not a single person you have come in contact with that doesn't know how deeply you value your integrity."

"All you have to do is ask, Mac," he grinned devilishly, "I don't need anything but your consent in return."

He got up from the chair he'd been occupying and left her staring after him, wide eyed and agape in her office.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Despite the General's refusal to turn down the intensity and outspokenness of his views, the members returned a 'not guilty' verdict, though he was verbally reprimanded by the judge.

 _"No hard feelings, Colonel," General Watson assured as he rounded the corner with Harm and Mac, "We're all serving our country in different ways."_

Most of the administrative team was gathered around the TV monitors blaring the latest news, as the three officers came to a halt just inside the bullpen, _"This was the scene today near Fallujah, where at least 18 Marines have been killed in a suicide bombing. A previously unknown group called The Fire of Allah claimed responsibility for what they called a "glorious victory in this Holy war". The message was delivered in an audiotape which was left anonymously at the Al Jazeera headquarters in Cairo."_

Swallowing nervously, the General waited a few seconds, then quietly broke the silence _, "If you'll excuse me."_

 _"...Deadliest single attack on American troops since the war in Iraq began one year ago," the TV reporter continued._

Turning from the group gathered around the screens, Harm found himself a mere dozen inches from his partner's face _, "Well, this is why we need men like General Watson."_

 _"Or not," she fired back,_ "We need more men like you, Harm- fair, honest, kind, generous, respectful. Just the kind of man I want raising my son."


	13. Coming Home

There was a spring in Harmon Rabb's step that hadn't been there for quite a while. He was satisfied with how his life was going lately, Mattie was thriving in school and making friends, Matt was growing at a frighteningly rapid pace, surpassing milestones at the speed of sound, and Mac... They were in a good place, again.

That morning, Harm decided to drive Mattie to school. He had a bit of spare time, he wasn't scheduled to be in court at all that day, so the only thing awaiting him was an intimidatingly tall pile of paperwork. On the way to the entrance of the school from the parking lot, Harm was regaling Mattie with a story about the Battle of Vicksburg and some of the remaining unexploded ordinances, when she stopped at the base of the stairs leading up to the school, _"How do you know all this?"_

 _"I took U.S. Naval History first year at the Academy," he smiled cockily as the warning bell rang._

 _Mattie looked over her shoulder, then back at Harm before darting off and calling over her shoulder, "Got to go."_

 _"Yeah, I love you, too," he called after her quietly._

Catching up with her friend that she'd spotted shortly before departing from her guardian's escort _, "Hey, Suze, what's the news?"_

 _"Same old," the other girl answered glumly._

 _"I was talking to my dad-"_

 _Susan cut her off, "I thought you didn't talk to him anymore."_

 _"No, my Navy dad; My guardian," she clarified, "And, uh, he was talking about the siege of Vicksburg-"_

Mattie was interrupted for the second time, when a gaggle of reporters descended on the pair, _"Hey, Susan! Susan! When did you get the news? What can you tell us about your brother? How do you feel? Just give us a minute that's all we want."_

 _"What was that all about?" Mattie asked as they crossed the threshold into the school building._

 _"A Casualty Assistance Officer came to the house last night. My, my brother..."_

 _"The one in Iraq?"_

 _"Joe. He got killed."_

 _"Susan, I'm so sorry. Shouldn't you be at home, or something?"_

 _"I guess. I just thought, you know, school would beat just staying at home, and you know, thinking about it."_

 _"We have a test to take."_

 _"I didn't study."_

 _"We have 20 minutes before class. I can tell you all you need to know about the Siege of Vicksburg."_

The two girls hurried off to class, as Mattie began rattling off everything she'd studied the night before and the stories Harm had entertained her with on the way to school.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Within minutes of her arrival at the office, Mac had been summoned into Admiral Chegwidden's office. She stood there for close to ten minutes before the AJ finally instructed her to have a seat while they waited for Bud Roberts to arrive. Waiting an excruciatingly long additional ten minutes in a tense, uncomfortable silence before the tardy lieutenant rushed in spewing apologies, they were finally able to get down to business- but not before AJ reprimanded the younger man for making him wait.

He handed over the bloody, shrapnel-filled flak jacket that used to belong to PFC Joe Smithfield, _"I want you both to look into this. Anderson flak jacket. There's been several reported failures in the battlefield. Headquarters Marine Corps has authorized a JAGMAN investigation to find out if there's a problem with the design or manufacture of the vest."_

 _"And if there is, sir?" Mac looked up from the gruesome article questioningly._

 _"I want charges filed against those responsible."_

 _"What if they're civilians, sir?"_

 _The admiral shifted his focus from the female marine to her counterpart, "Interface with the civilian authorities. Just get it done."_

Mac and Bud were dismissed to begin working on the case promptly, Bud volunteering to take the short drive over to Anderson Industries and Aberdeen Proving Grounds after, while Mac stayed behind. She would be lying if she said she wasn't also slightly annoyed at Bud's belated arrival. Just being in the room with AJ Chegwidden was unpleasant, ever since he broke his engagement with Meredith Cavanaugh he was gruff and short with everyone, a far cry from the caring and warm mentorship he used to provide.

While Bud scurried off to the motor pool, Mac made her way to the break room. She was going to need a central line of coffee to make it through the day.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Having made a sizable dent in his workload, Harm decided to take an hour that afternoon to pick up his ward. He was eager to find out how well she did on her history exam that morning. Harm met Mattie at the door as classes let out, finding the girl in a melancholy mood.

 _"What's wrong?" he asked genuinely concerned._

 _Pausing for a second, she answered vaguely, "Uh, Suze is in trouble."_

 _Stopping her with a hand on her arm, she turned to look at him, "A boy?"_

 _"No, nothing like that. But, um, she just found out that her brother was killed in Iraq."_

 _"Oh, God, I'm sorry. You know, Mattie, the Marine Corps have bereavement counselors to help the family out at times like this."_

 _"It's not that. It... There were reporters at the school, and They chased her into the building and asked her questions like, 'How do you feel?' and 'What do you think of the war?' And she said there are reporters staking out her house and calling her mom all day and all night. I was hoping that maybe you could do something about it."_

 _"Like what?"_

 _"I don't know, scare the reporters away. You're good at that... Scaring people- persuading people to do the right thing. I mean, you convinced me to live with you after I knew you for what, two months? At least I think it's the right thing to do."_

He didn't really know how to take her last statement, but he did agree something needed to be done. The family deserved peace to grieve their loss, and to be given the time to make a proper statement, if they so chose.

He nodded to Mattie in agreement, _"It is. It is."_

Harm dropped Mattie off at home, so she could get her homework done before dinner, with the promise that he would stop at the Smithfield home and see what he could do to help.

His visit with Mrs. Smithfield was enlightening, the family had a rich family history with many generations of servicemen in most of the major battles in the many wars of the 20th century. Mrs. Smithfield's husband was even buried at Arlington National Cemetery four years earlier. Offering his service, she only requested that he help her speak to the reporters on her own terms, in the way she felt comfortable.

After his trip to the Smithfield home, he ventured over to the office of one of the reporters that had harassed Susan Smithfield that morning. He wasn't interested in anything but making headlines, and had no qualms making that known. There was no negotiating to be done with the hard-nosed journalist.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

0024 ZULU  
JAG HEADQUARTERS  
FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA

Placing the last after action report from the previous incidence of failure on a mountainous pile of file folders beside her keyboard, Mac stood up rubbing the back of her neck, and began shutting down her office for the evening. Words were swimming on the pages, she'd stopped retaining information, and if she didn't go retrieve her child from the sitter soon, he might just forget who she was.

Returning to work had been a difficult adjustment after her maternity leave, and it was just further complicated with Sadik's return and subsequent death, plus the Webb fiasco. She gave Harriet Roberts a lot of credit, working full-time plus taking care of another human being was exhausting, and Harriet had two children to juggle but always seemed to do it with a cheerful smile. Mac made a note to ask her how she did it all so gracefully.

Shutting the door behind herself, Mac noticed that Harm hadn't been in the office since early afternoon. She knew he went to pick up Mattie from school, but he was supposed to return for a few hours afterward.

Pulling out her cell phone, she dialed his number, pleased when he answered before the second ring, "Hey, marine, what's up?"

"Nothing, I noticed you'd been out all afternoon. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I finally climbed out from under the truckload of after action reports and ballistics testing analysis. The Admiral wants us to look into the quality control and design of Anderson flak jackets. A marine was killed wearing one in an RPG attack night before last-"

Harm connected the dots in his head, unintentionally cutting her off when he quietly vocalized his thoughts, "PFC Joseph Smithfield."

"How did you know?" she queried, "The family was just informed early this morning."

Sighing, he scrubbed a hand over his face, "Joe Smithfield's younger sister is a friend of Mattie's. She asked me to help the family after a crowd of reporters practically chased the girl into the school, harassing her for a bit to play on the evening news. Look, why don't you come over and I'll tell you everything."

"Alright, I'll see you in a bit, I still have to pick Matt up and I want to get out of this uniform."

"I could help you with that," his voice lowered, becoming a bit husky, "There are a lot of buttons and zippers to manage, and four hands are usually faster than two."

"Well, Commander, it took you over seven years to work your way out of just one zipper, the last time you tested this theory of yours. It's been over a year and you have yet to replicate the experiment," she responded saucily.

"The sooner you get here, the sooner you can try."

She made it to the sitter, then her apartment, in record time, thanks to cooperative traffic and the unlikely occurrence of favorable stop lights. With baby Matt gurgling happily while he gnawed on his fingers, centered on her bed, she quickly shed her uniform and pulled on jeans and a form-fitting, gray and white striped v-neck t-shirt.

She ran her fingers through her hair, then taking one last look in the mirror, she picked the boy up and shared a smile with him, "Ready to go see dada?"

She was rewarded with a delighted squeal and another gummy smile. One day, Matthew Rabb would charm the world with his dad's smile. Paired with his light olive complexion, dark hair, and striking gray-blue eyes, the ladies didn't stand a chance.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Harm practically sprinted to the door, knowing who was on the other side, yanking it open to allow his guests to enter. As soon as Mac settled the baby onto his play mat in the living room, she joined Harm in the kitchen area. Launching into a discussion about PFC Smithfield, Harm gave her a summary of all the accounts he'd heard that day. After he finished his report, they fell into a comfortable silence as she helped him prepare dinner for himself and his ward. She paused to check on Matt, finding him asleep where she left him, then turned to go back to the kitchen.

She settled herself against the island's counter, back to the door, watching Harm stir the contents of a pot. then tasting and adding a pinch of seasoning to another. Spontaneously, she lightly ran her hands up the back of his shirt, feeling the firm flesh beneath her fingers, then hesitantly slid her arms around him, her hands settling on his chest. Suddenly unsure if she was jumping the gun, she stood as still as a statue, just feeling his heart race beneath her fingers and his breath catch slightly, before continuing its steady rhythm. He laid a hand of his own reassuringly over hers, before shutting the stove's burners off and turning around to face her, curious. Her eyes scanned his features before fixing themselves on his lips, her hands found themselves on either side of his jaw, drawing his face down just the slightest bit to meet hers. He leaned in, pressing his body fully against hers, one hand on her hip, the other making a journey over her torso, then tunneling lazily under the soft cotton of her shirt.

Her scent was intoxicating, the scent of her shampoo, the perfume he'd given her for Christmas, the lip balm she'd been using for years, residual baby smells- he hadn't been this close to her, free of inhibition, in so long. All he wanted was to feel her and taste her. Would it be the same as the night they had together in Paraguay? Without the arguing and insults they slung back and forth at each other. The noises she made, the way it felt when they finally let go and consummated their friendship, and the images of that night were enough to haunt his dreams for months after.

He released her lips, trailing instead from just behind her ear to the pulse at her throat, his tongue feeling the spot hammering away rapidly, receiving a tantalizing gasp and a whisper of his name, for his efforts. The edge of his thumb on the adventurous hand hit the elastic in the bottom seam of her bra about the same time she let out a quiet little sigh. Her fingers were busily releasing the buttons of his shirt, desperate to feel the skin beneath. Just as their lips met again and Mac's hand settled on the buckle of his belt, ready to release him from the confines of his increasingly uncomfortable attire, the front door swung open startling the pair. Mattie stopped dead in her tracks, eyes wide like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Oh my god. Uh... I'm..." stumbling over her words, she couldn't tear her eyes away from the scene before her, "Sorry. I'll come back."

The door slammed closed behind the retreating teenager, positively breaking the spell they'd been in. Harm removed his hand from the heated flesh beneath Mac's shirt, instead pulling her into a tight hug, as she buried her furiously blushing face into the crook of his neck.

Sighing, he lifted his arm to look at his watch, realizing that Mattie had been right on time for once. The girl was more like him than he gave her credit for, only on time at the wrong times.

"I think it's time to go," she mumbled from the cocoon of Harm's arms.

He nodded, releasing her, "I need to go check on Mattie. That's probably the last thing any teenager wants to walk in on, short of the actual deed."

She straightened her clothing, then crossed the room to retrieve their son, who had been awakened by the slamming door. Harm began re-buttoning his shirt, then accompanied them to the door, kissing Matt tenderly on the forehead and Mac on the lips, before they parted ways.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Harm was eventually able to calm and convince Mattie to relocate to the other apartment. Reheating their dinner, then sitting down to eat, Harm and Mattie began talking about the Smithfields and Mattie's own experiences with her mother's death.

 _"It's been 18 months. You want to talk about it now?"_ he put his fork down, leaning forward on his elbows.

 _"What's the point?"_ she shook her head, dismissing him, _"She's gone."_

 _"Mattie, you're going to have to talk about it eventually, 'cause if you don't come to grips with your mom's death, you're not going to be able to go on with your own life. I never dealt with my father's death. You know, for years, I kept telling myself that he was still alive. Even when I found out that he was dead, I... I never dealt with it, and it hurt me, big."_

 _"How?"_

 _"I never let anybody close."_

 _"Well, you let me in."_

 _He smiled, "Of course I did. What am I thinking?"_

 _"What am I, a science project?"_ his answer made her feel instantly suspicious.

 _"No."_

 _"What happens when you get bored with me?"_

Harm flashed back to the conversation he had with Mac a little over a month ago, _"You been talking to Mac?"_

 _"What's that supposed to mean?"_

 _"Nothing."_

 _"What is it with you and Mac? I mean, Jen says you love her, but I-"_

 _"You've been talking to Petty Officer Coates about me? "_

 _Mattie nodded, "A lot. Well, I mean, there's a lot to talk about. What do you expect? We're girls."_

He stood up, uncomfortable with the topic, and put his empty bowl in the sink, _"I-I-I-I don't want to deal with this right now."_

 _"Yeah, I know, you want to talk about me."_

 _"Remind me again, exactly, uh, why are you here?"_

 _"Because you love me... And hey... You can trust me not to tell Jen anything you wouldn't want to tell me about Mac. I am real serious about keeping my word. You tell me it's secret, and it stays that way."_

 _"I thought I said I didn't want to talk about me."_

 _"Too late. We're there."_

 _"Look, Mac and my relationship is, uh, complicated."_

 _"Do you love her?"_ Mattie had the makings of a great lawyer, she was a master of intimidation.

 _"Yes," he answered quietly._

 _"How come you aren't dating her anymore? Is it because of me? Are you afraid to bring a girl home?_ You were together before, right? That's how you guys had Matt? Or is that what I walked in on earlier?" she flashed a mischievous smile.

 _"No..._ Well, yes and no. _Look, I'll keep it simple for you. Mac and I have never been able to... Close the divide. I guess it goes back to, uh, what I said earlier, not having closure. But we're working on it._

"If you haven't been able to get it together, how the heck did you two end up with a kid together? And don't tell me it was immaculate conception, I know what I saw earlier," she teased, "If I hadn't come barging in when I did..."

"You didn't 'barge' in. I was expecting you, I should have kept better track of time. It was nothing like that, though. We did conceive him... Normally..." he averted his eyes, uncomfortable with talking about any part of his sexual history with the fifteen year old, "We were never in a romantic relationship, we've been close friends for a long time. We were... Together the once, we weren't able to make it work, got into an argument the next day, didn't speak for almost four months. She didn't tell me she was pregnant until around the time I met you, but I didn't make it very easy for her to, either. We are equally guilty of sabotaging anything we could have had together. Like I said, we're working on it, now. _Anyway, uh, Mrs. Smithfield has asked me to be there when the Casualty Assistance Officer visits her tonight. And, uh, I was wondering maybe you'd like to come along. You could, uh, hang with Susan._ "

Mattie begged off, explaining that she still wasn't good with death and other peoples' emotions. Harm accepted it at face value and went alone, meeting with Mrs. Smithfield and the casualty assistance team. They spent much of the evening relaying details relating to the arrival of PFC Smithfield's body and what his mother's wishes and expectations were for the funeral.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

The next morning, Harm accompanied the remaining members of the Smithfield family to Dover, to meet the body of the fallen marine. The flight was a bit late touching down, but everything else went off without a hitch. PFC Joseph Smithfield was home.

At the same time, Mac and Bud presented their findings of the Anderson investigation to Admiral Chegwidden. Bud had gotten in late the night before, having witnessed the testing done on a similar vest to PFC Smithfield's. Mac spent most of the previous night, after returning from Harm's apartment, re-reading many of the reports she read earlier at the office.

As soon as the Admiral put them at ease, Mac dove in, _"We've completed our preliminary investigation, sir. It appears there may be anomalies in the production of the Anderson vest."_

 _"Anomalies? What the hell does that mean?"_ AJ seemed to be in a wonderful mood that morning.

 _"Well, deficiencies, sir, but we won't know for sure until additional laboratory testing is complete."_

 _"In several months, sir,"_ Bud interjected.

 _"We send our people to war, we want to give them the best equipment. Best tanks, best aircraft, hell, the best damn boots. 'Several months' is several months too long to wait for an answer is that clear?"_

 _"Affirmative, Admiral. We'll convey your message to Aberdeen,"_ Mac assured the irritable admiral.

 _"See that you do."_

Upon their dismissal, Bud all but barricaded himself in his office. Poring over the evidentiary photos, he got close to no work done that morning. Harm arrived back at the office, early that afternoon, immediately noticing the gloomy lieutenant.

Stopping at his doorway, on the way to the library, Harm stuck his head in, _"Hey, Bud, you okay?"_

 _"I'm fine, sir,"_ Bud looked up from the mess of images on his desk top.

 _"You sure?"_

 _"I thought I'd put it behind me, sir- What happened on the battlefield."_

 _"Where'd you get these?"_

 _"They're for a case that I'm working on, sir. A PFC Smithfield was a recent casualty."_

 _"Yeah. Was killed four days ago. Firefight with the Fedayeen in Tifka."_

 _"How'd you know?"_

 _"I'm helping out the family."_

 _"You should know that there's a question about the quality of his vest, sir."_

He remained silent on the fact that Mac had clued him in the night before, _"Let me know if you hear anything, all right?"_

 _"Yes, sir," Bud looked back down at the photographs, "Seems like the death of PFC Smithfield touched a lot of people's lives, sir. You know, I was at, uh, Bethesda Naval Hospital last week for my annual checkup on the leg. The ward is filled with new arrivals. First thing you see when you get off the elevator on the fifth floor is the Wall of Heroes. The P.T.s, they put up photos of the men that they're working with, you know, the burn cases, the shrapnel victims... A lot of amputees. I spoke with a nurse who took care of me when I was there. She says that the average age of the men that they treat is 23 years old, sir. That is just too damn young, and there's not a thing that we can do about it."_

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Mattie came bursting through the front door of Harm's apartment, finding him mostly dressed, with his jacket draped over the back of a dining chair and Mac meticulously tying a complicated looking knot on the tie at his neck.

" _Harm this outfit..." she_ paused taking note of the extra people in the room, _"Is not me."_

He looked up from the silent marine's nimble fingers, _"What are you talking about? You look great."_

Pivoting on her heel, Mattie marched over to the living room, making silly faces at Matt in his jumperoo, eliciting a string of giggles and babbling, _"Oh, easy for you to say. You wear the same outfit all year long."_

Mac was standing back watching the exchange between the pair with an entertained smile on her face, having finished with Harm's tie.

Jokingly taking offense, Harm's face took on a shocked expression, _"Mattie patently not true. Blues in the winter, whites in the summer, peanut butters on duty."_

 _"Whatever that is,"_ she countered.

 _"Khaki."_

 _"Why didn't you just call it that?"_

 _"Then, of course, there's the, uh, dress mess uniform which has a gold cummerbund. And, uh, camos, and then there's, uh, flight suits and, uh... You know, various other looks._ If anyone wears the same thing all year round, it'd be her, with a few negligible differences," he nodded in Mac's direction.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, "Don't knock tradition. You should know better than to drag me into this, squid. I happen to agree with her, **outside** of uniform you have precisely two looks- workout clothes or button up shirt and slacks. It's been forever since I've seen you in anything but."

Mattie grinned at her guardian victoriously, while he rolled his eyes. He knew he would never win an argument against the two women in his life.

 _"Harm, are you sure that I have to... Go to this thing tonight?" Mattie asked hesitantly._

 _"Fine, Matilda, but you call Mrs. Smithfield yourself and you tell her why you're not coming. And then you can call Susan and tell her that you're a chicken,"_ he gestured with his wallet that he then tucked into his jacket pocket.

Ready to leave, Harm turned and kissed Mac gently on the cheek, then rubbed his son's head, tousling his short locks.

As Harm led Mattie out of the apartment with an arm around her shoulders, she looked up at him, _"Harm, sometimes you forget that I'm not a part of your army."_

 _"Never say "Army" to a Navy man. It provokes a bad result, okay?"_ he chuckled before becoming serious, _"It's important that you're there, Mattie, to show your love and support."_

 _"I know. But what am I going to say, Harm?"_

 _"You don't have to say anything. Your presence there is enough."_

 _"I know this sounds stupid, but I have a really hard time being around people who break down and cry and stuff."_

 _"This isn't a night for tears, Mattie. This is a night to celebrate a life."_

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

 _"Commander, Mattie please, come in,"_ Rachel Smithfield answered the door promptly, after the first knocks.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Mattie dashed upstairs to join her friend, leaving the adults to continue without her, " _I don't know what we would have done without you and Mattie. She's been a good friend to Susan. It's been such a relief for her to talk about everyday things, you know. Boys, mostly."_

Harm put a hand over his pseudo-wounded heart, " _Boys? What boys?"_

 _"Well, don't ask her, 'cause she won't tell you. Joe had girlfriends I never even met. Forgive me. Would you like something to drink?"_

 _"Oh, sure. Beer would be fine._ Jeez, I'm not looking forward to the male end of the spectrum, either. Thankfully, it won't be a concern for at least another decade or so. _"_

 _"_ She _seems very grown up for her age,_ Mattie isn't your only child? _."_

 _"Yeah, I'm not so sure that's a good thing,"_ he shook his head,"I also have a son. She came into my life not long before he was born. Mattie was living on her own, running a failing business... _She was forced to grow up a little too quickly, you know? She kind of forgot what it was like to be a kid."_

 _"Well, whatever the problems, you're lucky to have her."_

 _"Well, I love having her in my life," he smiled ruefully, "I just- I don't always know what to do with her."_

 _"Well, none of us know, Commander. It's trial and error. Up until the day that Joe left on that C-141 for Iraq, I was I was still trying to figure him out. Well, if you ever want advice on how to deal with Mattie, you know where to find me. And in the meantime, treasure every minute. They'll never come again,"_ a knock at the door drew her attention, interrupting their conversation, _"Excuse me."_

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

The next morning was Joseph Smithfield's funeral. With far less prodding than the night before, Mattie accompanied Harm, settling in the chair next to her friend.

" _Friends, we have gathered here to praise God and to witness our faith as we celebrate the life of Private First Class Joseph Smithfield. We have come together in grief, acknowledging our human loss. May God grant us grace, that in pain we may find comfort, in sorrow, hope, in death, resurrection," the chaplain made the sign of the cross over Joe's casket, "Oh, God, all that you have given us is yours. As first you gave Joseph Smithfield to us, now we give Joseph Smithfield back to you. Receive Joseph Smithfield into the arms of your mercy. Raise Joseph Smithfield up with all your people. Receive us also, and raise us into a new life. Help us so to love and serve you in this world that we may enter your joy in the world to come. Amen."_

The leader of the honor guard presented the flag to Rachel Smithfield as the rifle party readied themselves to fire, the bugler playing Taps in the background. Following the funeral, Harm and Mrs. Smithfield had a few short words before Sean Parker intercepted them for an interview.

It didn't take Mattie long find Harm, requesting they take their leave. She was silent the entire drive home, splitting off without a word once they exited the elevator. After a quick shower and change, he stuck his head in the other apartment, letting Mattie know he would be back later, and jumped in his car, directing it toward Georgetown.

Mac answered the door with little Matt on her hip and a surprised smile on her face, when she saw Harm on the other side of the door, "Hey, Harm. What brings you by?"

"We- uh- I just got back from PFC Smithfield's funeral," he sighed, crossing the room and dropping down on her couch and his head in his hands, "I've been doing this for almost twenty years. Flown hundreds of missions, been a part of three conflicts, lost close friends... I'm still not used to it."

"None of us are. You aren't supposed to get used to it," she settled down next to him and put her free hand on his shoulder, "This one hit a little too close to home, huh?"

"I can't imagine what this woman is going through. I lost my father when I was five and it was hard growing up without him, but to lose the person I love the most and then my child not long after? It would kill me. It's put a lot of things into perspective, the things I want... We have been dancing around each other for the last eight years. I don't want to do it anymore."

Harm looked up from his hands to find Mac staring at him wide-eyed, uncertainty clouding her coffee-colored eyes. Realizing that she may be misunderstanding his meaning, he broke into a big smile, shaking his head.

"I want you. I want us to be together. I love you. I don't want to fight it anymore. I'm ready."

He was surprised when her immediate reaction to his confession was the eruption of an uncharacteristic giggle from the marine.

"Harmon Rabb, we were this close to falling into bed together the other night. Whether you- or I- realized it, together is what we've been for quite a while. However, I think I should let you in on a little secret," leaning forward, she passed Matt to his father, disengaging the baby's fingers from her hair and brought her lips just inches from Harm's ear, "I love you too."

A smile found its way to Harm's face before he turned just slightly, closing the distance between them and kissing her deeply.


End file.
